Services : Internet Service Provider (ISP) & Virtual Private Networks (VPN’s)

Services
Some of the key services provided by data network operators include Internet service provider (ISP) and virtual private networks (VPNs).

Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Internet service provider is a company that provides an end user with data communication service that allows them to connect to the Internet. An ISP purchases a high-speed link to the Internet and divides up the data transmission to allow many more users to connect to the Internet. Internet service providers provide a gateway between end-users and the Internet. For this service, an ISP usually charges a monthly access fee and may charge for the amount of time or amount of data transferred during the billing period.

Virtual Private Networks (VPN’s)
Virtual private networks (VPN) network operators provide data connections to companies to allow interconnection of data networks. Companies use VPN to create MANs or WANs.

The best examples of VPN’s today are ATM and frame relay networks that connect multiple client sites on what appears to be dedicated circuits. In these networks, data is routed through the VPN network using routing algorithms that transfer data based on congestion and priorities. Because of the speed and fault-tolerance of the VPN provider network, the client company operates as if the inter-site connections were dedicated circuits.