Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is a permanent high speed digital connection which runs on existing, copper (or analogue) 'local loop' circuit. It enables business users to access high-speed services such as video, Audio and Internet at a fixed cost.

• It provides high-speed instant Internet access over 40 times faster than a typical modem.
• Permanent connection 24 hours a day - there is no need to waste time dialling up.
• It does not affect the normal telephone line, so users can receive telephone calls or faxes whilst online.
• Flat rate pricing allows users unlimited access of the Internet for a fixed price therefore users do not have to worry about call charges.

The minimum specifications are as follows:

Windows 95
Pentium 133MHz Processor
32Mb RAM
4-speed CD ROM Player
Video/Graphics Card
10BaseT Ethernet LAN card

When establishing a connection to the ADSL network, there are certain considerations, which have to be made.

ADSL provides an always on connection. This means that your Server is connected to the Internet 24 hours a day which in turn means that your Server is open to attack 24 hours a day.

ADSL does provide you with some security measures in the form of NAT (Network Address Translation).

Provided that your workstations are using private Intranet addresses such as 192.168.0.1-192.168.1.254 and not fixed IP addresses, the computers lying behind the ADSL Router will be safeguarded from the Internet because their actual IP Addresses will never be transmitted.

These private addresses are translated to single/multiple different IP addresses, which would make things difficult for a hacker to target your network.

No. There are many tools available on the Internet, which allow someone with little computer knowledge to compromise your network. NAT can stop low-level attacks but will not be able to cope with serious attacks targeted directly at your network.

A serious attack aimed at your network could corrupt your data or indeed compromise your server, secretly planting a Trojan horse virus, which would enable the offending user to access your server as he/she pleases without being detected. There are too many attacks to mention each depending on the type of data and operating system you are using.

Installing a Firewall makes it possible to stop and/or monitor the attacks taking place.

A Firewall is a tool, which monitors all traffic entering and leaving your network. It is capable of blocking malicious data coming into the network by identifying the methods hackers use to break in to a system. Despite this an experienced and persistent hacker could still break through a Firewall, tricking the system and allowing him/her to attack the network, as many large organisations have found out! The upside to this is that these intrusions can still be identified and investigated shortly after, installing countermeasures in order to stop the same attack happening again.

A Firewall is usually installed in front of the main server. This is so that the server and the resulting workstations are protected from any attacks.

• Analysis and configuration of existing LAN with ADSL.
• Installation and configuration of Firewall.
• 24/7 ADSL Service Monitoring
• VPN Office-to-Office & Client-to-Office
• Technical Support.
• Firewall Installations and Management
• Network Management in full
  

Provided that you are using a BT line, we can initiate a conversion process to convert the ISDN line to ADSL. However, this process will take approximately three times as long as converting a standard analogue line to ADSL.