WorldCom Launches IP VPN ServiceWorldCom Launches IP VPN Service

Global telecom WorldCom Inc. Tuesday launched an Internet protocol virtual private network service that lets users outsource almost every physical aspect of the network while retaining administrative control through an innovative Web-based policy management package.

The service, IP VPN Customer Directed, lets WorldCom handle the pipes, equipment, and management of the VPN while giving IT managers the ability to set access rules and security parameters, change the configuration of their network, and control the timing of any changes. To make the IP VPN Customer Directed available, WorldCom has partnered with software services company SmartPipes Inc., which wrote 7 million lines of code for the system that supports the customer-managed service. The SmartPipes system interacts with WorldCom's back-end ordering and management systems.

The service sounds appealing for companies that want the benefits of VPNs but are put off by the complexity of building and managing them themselves, says Daniel Briere, CEO of consulting firm TeleChoice.

The service is available now in the United States and will become available in the first of 28 other countries by year's end. Pricing varies.