VPN connection speed

we have the same setup at work. with adsl/cable works great but 56k or lower not practical.....can only connect using UNC with ip addresses....\\156,65.7 etc etc otherwise the connection times out. We use checkpoint secure....

Forget it. It is slower than a tortoise.

I do not necessarily agree with those trashing 56k connections- it depends on what you are running. Transaction oriented, thin client applications may run fine. It all depends on the amount of data and application program that must be sent back and forth.

We have a transatlantic VPN at 128K with 56K as backup. Speed is fine for multiple users for transactional and mainframe-type applications, but painfully slow for even a single user if you want to load a remote Excel spreadsheet.

Using Microsoft PPTP, trying a VPN is essentially free except for your time, and if the alternative is expensive leased lines may save you a lot. Take a shot at it, and if you don't like it, discontinue it. There probably will be no out-of-pocket expenses to give it a try.