Logmein buys 'instant VPN'

Remote-access specialist Logmein is to offer an instant Virtual Private Network (VPN) product called Hamachi after buying its developer Applied Networking Inc.

The number of people using Himachi has grown from two million to three million since April, according to the site where it can be downloaded. Applied Networking describes it as zero configuration.

'You can set up a connection in less than a minute,' claims Logmein chief executive Mike Simons. 'It is a real networking connection.'

He sees Hamachi as being very attractive to smaller businesses that need to connect branch offices or people on the move but do not have a dedicated IT department like larger enterprises.

He gave the example of a small consultancy with people travelling all round Europe. 'It could set up a Hamachi network and do a database update to all the machines. …The beauty is that it works every time.'

Normal IP networks really need knowledgable people to set them up, and take an hour and a half to configure, and even then they often do not work in hotel rooms and Wifi hotsots, Simon said.

Many businesses do not like remote access products, particularly easy-to-use ones, because IT departments can lose control of their security. On an official VPN IT staff can ensure that both ends of the link are secure. But if staff use unofficial links, the security of the entire company network may be reduced to that of a home system.

Logmein has a utility called Scout which allows companies to check whether its existing remote-access are being used unofficially. Simons said this will be extended to cover Hamachi.

But he believes big enterprises too will be interested in Hamachi because it is so easy and quick to use. 'You could even set up a network for a temporary connection with customers, perhaps when you are completing a big contract.'

A free version of Hamachi is available for download but a more rigorous version will also be sold as a service.

Simons said the Applied Networking purchase would bring his total number of users to six million 'and between us we will be growing at a million a month.'

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