Microsoft® SharePoint™ 2003 Unleashed, Second Edition

Using Virtual Private Networks to Secure Access to SharePoint

A common method of securing access to SharePoint farms from across unsecured networks is to create a virtual private network (VPN), which is effectively a connection between two private nodes or networks that is secured and encrypted to prevent unauthorized snooping of the traffic between the two connections. From the client perspective, a VPN looks and feels just like a normal network connection to SharePoint—hence the term virtual private network.

Data sent across a VPN is encapsulated, or wrapped, in a header that indicates its destination. The information in the packet is then encrypted to secure its contents. The encrypted packets are then sent across the network to the destination ...