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Point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP) is a set of communication rules that govern the secure implementation of virtual private networks (VPN), which allow organizations a method of extending their own private networks over the public Internet via "tunnels."
By using PPTP, a large organization with distributed offices can create a large local area network (LAN ) - essentially a VPN - by using the infrastructure of a wide area network (WAN), like the network of a public Internet service provider (ISP) or telecom. This is more cost effective than laying out a network infrastructure over such distances.
PPTP enables the creation of a secure route of transfer of data from a remote client to a server in a private enterprise network through the creation of a VPN over TCP/IP-based networks, such as the Internet. It allows remote users to securely access corporate networks over the Internet, as if the client is physically present in the corporate network.
PPTP is an extension of the point-to-point protocol already used on the Internet, and Microsoft and its partners proposed it as a standard. Along with Cisco’s proposal of the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol, these proposals may become the basis for the next Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard.
PPTP offers the following advantages:
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