Inverted network is a philosophy about network security that focuses on the core of the enterprise network rather than the perimeter, where traditional network security software resides in the form of firewalls, anti-virus programs and intrusion detection systems. This philosophy emphasizes secure socket layer (SSL) virtual private network (VPN) connections from employees’ home office desktop computers or a variety of mobile devices such as smartphones, PDAs and netbook computers. The inverted network philosophy maintains that employees need and expect instant access to corporate network resources, and that an SSL VPN connection intelligently allows such access while maintaining security by monitoring who (authentication) the employee is and where (verification of known geographical location) he or she is located.
SSL is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide secure communication over the Internet, but it has been superseded by transport layer security (TLS). Both protocols are in widespread use in applications such as Web browsers, email clients, Internet faxing, voice over IP and instant messaging. In the TCP/IP application layer, the protocols are included as TLS/SSL.Using both SSL and VPN technologies, proponents of the Inverted Network philosophy believe that a corporate network can be safely accessed by employees and other authorized users through remote devices.
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