Patent ID: 7124189

Claim:
In a data center capable of communicating with a remote enterprise network, a method for enabling a user to access network data of the remote enterprise network through a data tunnel between the data center and the remote enterprise network that operates as a virtual private network, the method comprising the acts of: in response to receiving a data request from the remote enterprise network, establishing the data tunnel with the remote enterprise network, by transmitting reply data to the remote enterprise network, the data tunnel operating as a virtual private network a firewall of the remote enterprise network without requiring a virtual private network node to be placed at the firewall; continuing to transmit the reply data to the remote enterprise network in an ongoing manner such that the data tunnel is kept open; receiving an access request from a user for network data from the remote enterprise network; transmitting the access request to the remote enterprise network using the existing data tunnel that has been established and exists prior to the data center having received the access request; receiving the network data from the remote enterprise network in response to the access request; and transmitting the network data to the user.