At the lowest level, using the Internet as a cheap, global TCP/IP network opens new opportunities for companies to connect remote sites and individual users.
Virtual private networks such as the Windows NT 4.0 Point-to-Point Tunnelling Protocol (PPTP) are one way of using the network to securely tunnel private information over the Internet. DCOM-based applications can transparently leverage such a virtual private network.
Figure 16 - DCOM over Virtual Private Network