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One of the first means of establishing private links between arbitrary points on the Internet, virtual private networks (VPNs) were first created by SRI in 1994-1995.
VPNs can connect individual users to a remote network, or connect multiple networks together, while maintaining the functionality, security, and management policies of the remote network. For example, users might employ a VPN to connect to their work computer from home to securely access their email and files.