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COST: $10 to $20 per month for remote control services and $30 to $200 for installed applications
4. Get Virtual
Virtual private networks (VPNs) create a secure Internet link between two distant computers or a computer and a company network. It is safer than using ordinary Internet connections, which can be vulnerable to hackers out to steal your data. A VPN uses encryption to create an ostensibly hack-proof data “tunnel” through the public Internet. Unlike remote control software, VPNs let you access files and folders on the distant system, not take it over.
A lawyer might use a VPN to send confidential information from a public place like a courthouse. To set up a connection, she would log on to the Internet and use a password to log on to the corporate VPN. Then she could open a word processing program on her computer and open a file on the remote server, just as if she were in her office, instead of saving the information to the local machine.
There are a number of proprietary VPN and VPN-like solutions. Emerge Core Networks IT-In-A-Box is a phone-book-size appliance with built--in file sharing, wireless networking, a built- in email server, and a built-in VPN. Many companies, including Check Point, Juniper, NetGear, and Sonic Wall, sell VPN appliances whose costs vary from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on how many people need access to the VPN server and what features are included. The Mirra Personal Server appliance, a relatively low-cost solution for small businesses, lets you share specific folders with clients or other remote users.
COST: The Mirra Personal Server costs $400 to $750, depending on storage capacity. Other solutions run $800 per seat and up, fully configured.
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author of the book Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses, and a frequent speaker on technology issues. He can be contacted at
ramon@smallbiztechnology.com.


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