Virtual private networks, or VPNs, are obviously the most secure solution for allowing mobile 
employees to access the corporate network from outside the premises. But because VPNs are easily broken by network address translation (NAT) or stifled by restrictive ACL rules, they pose interesting challenges to enterprise network administration policy and procedure in terms of configuration, implementation and usage.
IPSec-derived VPN solutions can be confusing to inexperienced administrators; they are difficult to configure because so many parameters are involved. Worse yet, IPSec operates in kernel mode, an excellent leverage point for potential attackers.
Enter OpenVPN. OpenVPN’s key advantages lie in its simplified security architecture, modular network design and cross-platform compatibility. Because OpenVPN is derived from SSL/TLS, it works with virtually every firewall. It is globally accessible through an Internet connection and an HTTPS-capable Web browser. Virtual tunnel/tap (tun/tap) devices do the heavy lifting, which makes this software less complex and more flexible than kernel-based IPSec components. This architecture also provides cross-platform capability; OpenVPN can run on platforms from BSD (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD) and Mac OS X to Linux and Windows. OpenVPN: An open source alternative to Windows VPNs
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