VPN - Secure corporate network from the cloud

They analyze large volumes of data with Hana, structure their business with ERP systems from SAP, and use SAP software to perfect their production: Companies of all sizes rely on software from Walldorf.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO on his company's partnership with software specialist SAP:

"SAP is the leader in enterprise software, with 76 percent of all business transactions going through SAP systems"

Customers from all over the world value SAP applications because they make processes more efficient - whether in accounting or controlling, whether in sales or purchasing, whether in production, warehouse management or human resources.

These are all sensitive data that need to be comprehensively protected. Not only in the office, but also when accessed on the road.

In large companies, a virtual private network (VPN) is therefore a must. However, small and medium-sized companies often shy away from the effort involved, because installation and operation are expensive and cannot be implemented without IT experts.

But not using protected connections for internal data traffic is dangerous. According to a Bitkom survey, 51 percent of companies have already been victims of industrial espionage, data theft or sabotage.

At 61 percent, SMEs are a particularly popular victim for digital criminals.

Bulwark against cyber criminals

With its Cloud VPN solution, Deutsche Telekom is fully focused on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. It can be easily installed and operated at manageable costs, even without an in-house IT department or IT service provider.

With Cloud VPN, all data communication runs encrypted over a tunneled connection. The number of VPN sites and mobile access points can be individually configured at any time.

Many companies have long been using the underlying virtualization principle for other applications: For example, they obtain SAP Hana as a Platform as a Service and various other SAP applications from the cloud.

However, company sites can also be connected virtually along the same lines: Network functions such as firewalls or caching, which were previously tied to special hardware, can be relocated to powerful data centers, just like network control and data transmission.

This makes networks as flexible as other applications from the cloud: they can be adapted quite easily to the respective needs of the company.

Encryption via plug-and-play

A site that is to be connected via the VPN only needs Internet access. Even non-professionals can set up a protected network via plug-and-play.

The tunnel is established with a router. Here, the customer simply plugs in the supplied USB stick and connects it to power and the Internet.

The router automatically logs into the Telekom Cloud and receives the appropriate configuration - and the virtual private network is up and running.

Separate software for encrypted data connections is just as unnecessary as network know-how.

Companies control their network via app

The companies then control their encrypted network with a self-service app. It allows them to react quickly to changes.

Entire sites and mobile employees can be integrated into the VPN without any problems. The customer can be sure that sensitive SAP business data is protected even when employees access it on the road or from the home office.

With the app, employees can see which applications require how much bandwidth and can direct data flows accordingly.

Important info gets priority, less crucial applications such as instant messaging or social networks can be easily blocked.

Cloud solution extensible

Telekom operates the cloud solution in its highly secure data centers. It can be easily combined with other services - for example, with Managed Security Services, a network protection package tailored to the needs of SMEs, consisting of Dynamic Firewall, Managed Mail and Managed SafeSync.