Virtual Private Network (VPN) Question:

The term Virtual Private Network (VPN) means "an encrypted connection from one point to another over any network giving the illusion of being a private network." Originally, Marcus Ranum and I coined the term "virtual network perimeter," which in today's language means a VPN with trust — i.e., a network security perimeter extended to include other offices and remote users through a VPN link plus common name space, security policies, and management. Of course, networks are not private unless encryption is being employed. To put it plainly, unless you own the space around every wire, fiber, or radio signal used in the communication path, your connection is not private unless it is encrypted.