[CVALE] Non Linux Simple VPN Questions

[Terry]

Greetings !

I have a few simple, common knowledge, off the top of your head, questions.  Just something to but 
the mailing list to some use.  Sorry they don't involve Linux so feel free to skip to the next email.

A business friend asked me to configure ACT! on a server with VPN so their employees could access 
the ACT! information.  This is a MS Windows environment on the client and server side.  I don't know 
yet what's MS O/S is running on the server.  I won't see the server for a couple of more weeks.

Several years ago I supported a network where CISCO VPN client software was used.  I remember it not 
permitting the client to access other Internet sites once the VPN was in use.

My friend's employees will need to access the ACT! server securely AND ALSO access other sites on 
the Internet.

A few basic questions on this...

1.  What are the common and working VPN software candidates I should consider.  Years ago I saw both 
CISCO and NORTEL software in use on MS Windows PCs.  What's everyone using these days on MS O/S.

2.  Should a VPN client permit the user to access the general Internet while a VPN connection is 
established or does this undo the whole point of using VPN in the first place?  My guess is that 
this is configurable in the VPN client software.

3.  Because of the need of the employees to establish the VPN connection and also access other 
internet sites should I be looking at other network security mechanisms other than VPN?  The 
employees will also be storing and sharing files on the server.

Note that the bandwidth to the server site is adequate but we would NOT want to route ALL internet 
traffic from remote employees through the server site and then to the Internet site the employee 
needs to access.

All I know about ACT! so far is how to spell it so if any ACT! experts out there happen to know it 
supports it's own secure access methods please speak up.  In the meantime I'll be reading up on it.

If you want to respond directly to me and not bore the rest of the group with this simple stuff my 
email address is:  terry at zinnianet.net

Thanks.

Terry