Viatel Surveys UK VPN Usage

LONDON -- Viatel, the business communications provider, today announced that while 93 percent of medium sized UK organisations* are currently using a VPN, two thirds are reliant on solutions that are more than two years old, and therefore based on legacy technology such as first generation DSL and leased lines. When asked about upgrading, 58 percent of respondents cited greater flexibility as the biggest driver, while six in ten were concerned about the associated cost and management overheads.

The widespread availability of next generation technologies like ADSL 2+ and Ethernet in the First Mile is driving down the cost of these services so businesses can benefit from significant increases over existing bandwidth with no increase in price. With the ability to upgrade to FTTC and FTTP as they become more widely available too, Viatel notes that organisations that implement an IP VPN would quickly see the benefits in terms of increased network performance and improved staff efficiency.

While flexibility was the most important reason for upgrading to a new IP VPN, 41 percent also stated that increasing bandwidth required for existing applications was a key factor.

“Clearly most UK businesses are currently making do with their existing VPN solutions. These solutions may not be delivering the speeds necessary to support an increasing number of IP-based business-critical applications, to give companies the flexibility to grow and change or allow employees to work from home,” said Michael Davies, head of product management at Viatel. “Businesses are often restricted because they are reliant on expensive solutions like leased lines, or consumer packages that simply share available bandwidth between all subscribers, resulting in potential loss of connectivity and slow download speeds. Medium sized businesses need flexible, cost effective bandwidth solutions that will ensure continuous uptime even during peak hours.”

Viatel Holding (Bermuda) Ltd. (OTC: VTLAF)