Term: VPN [Virtual Private Network]

VPN is an acronym for Virtual Private Network.

A VPN uses encryption and additional networking software to connect devices on a larger, public network – usually the internet – as if they were directly connected together on a private network.

There are two common scenarios:

In a corporate VPN, machines use the internet to securely connect to the private corporate network. All traffic that travels on the public internet is encrypted in such a way that it is only meaningful to the VPN’s corporate entry-point, where it joins the corporate network.

A public VPN is often used for security when the connection between a computer and the internet cannot be completely trusted, as in an open Wi-Fi hotspot. A VPN is used to create a private, fully encrypted network connection to the VPN service provider, where it is then connected normally to the internet.