VPN - Virtual Private Network

							VPN – Virtual Private Network

Link2ICT are pleased to make available its remote Virtual Private
Networking (VPN) service to all staff members based in Birmingham
schools. This service offers users the ability to connect securely
from a home PC to the BGfL Network using a broadband connection.

What can VPN do for me                                                                          VPN
and my school?
                                                                      Home
Link2ICT envisage the use of the VPN service to be of                                Internet
benefit to all teaching and ICT staff members. By installing
and configuring the VPN Client you will have the ability to:
                                                                                                                  School
                                                                                                      BGfL
  Connect to the school network from any                                                              Core
                                                                      VPN creates a secure
  Internet connected PC                                               tunnel through the internet
  Browse and Authenticate against your                                and the BGfL to allow your
  local Windows domain and connect to your                            PC to behave as though
                                                                      it were on the school network
  network drives
  Provide Network Managers & Technicians remote
  support access from home or other locations                   For modem speed/dial-up connections, some impact on
                                                                speed may be noticeable when the VPN client is in use.
                                                                Access to bandwidth intensive applications such as SIMS
Sounds great! Tell me more                                      and CMIS may prove non functional. For higher-speed
                                                                connections, there is generally no impact.
about Link2ICT's VPN Solution
VPN is a system that can allow remote computers to
connect over the Internet, to appear to be on the BGfL
                                                                How many VPN Clients
network. VPN systems use authentication and encryption to       can my school request?
allow secure communications to take place over the
Internet. Link2ICT have implemented its VPN System based        All Birmingham schools are allocated the following VPN
on Cisco's VPN 3000 Concentrator series. The remote             Clients as part of their BGfL Subscription charge:
clients will connect using the Cisco VPN Client.
                                                                  Primary/Nurseries:             1
The VPN system makes use of your existing Internet
connection method, whether dial-up, ISDN, ADSL or cable           Secondary Schools:             5
modem connection.                                               Additional clients are charged, per client, per annum
The VPN client software can be run selectively as needed,       from the date of activation.
or it can be set to connect automatically when the
software is loaded. The software will establish a
connection over the Internet. The VPN server will assign
                                                                How do I go about
an IP address to the client computer. The VPN client sends
all network communications via the VPN server for the
                                                                requesting VPN Access?
duration of your VPN session. This allows your network          To ensure you are familiar with the use of VPN technology
connections to appear to be coming from within the BGfL         and understand how you can best utilise the functionality,
Network and we can ‘allow’ the user to connect to the           visit www.bgfl.org/vpn then complete and return
school network.                                                 the application form for your VPN request.


For further information please contact:
Link2ICT
Service Birmingham, Units 2&3, B1 Camden Street, Birmingham, B1 3RB
Tel: 0121 303 8044 email: sales@link2ict.org www.link2ict.org