A new service being bowed by Verizon Wireless today offers VPN-esque security. It is called the Verizon Wireless Private Network. So, is that VWPN?Verizon Wireless had it made in the shade. They could have just called the new security offering VPN: Verizon's Private Network. It makes perfect sense and dovetails nicely with the actual acronym. I guess they didn't want to mess with it, though. Too bad, VPN has a better ring to it than VWPN, which sounds like a Volkswagen that never made it off the drawing board.

OK, bad jokes aside...

Security is a crucial aspect of enterprise operations, especially for companies that manage highly sensitive data, such as financial or health organizations. These businesses need to be able to secure data not only on the device where it resides, but also the networks through which it travels to reach the back-end servers. This is where VPNs come into play as they create the secure tunnels between the mobile device and home office.

"Private Network takes our enterprise customers' ability to communicate over a secure network to the next level by recognizing their wireless devices on the network -- no matter where on the network their employees or their devices are located," said Rob Miller, VP of marketing for Verizon Wireless, in a prepared statement. "The Verizon Wireless Private Network gives customers the management tool they need to run their businesses for optimum efficiency and security."

According to Miller, one of the most essential benefits of Verizon Wireless Private Network is that customers can use existing IP addressing, network routing schemes and protocols to identify and communicate with corporate wireless devices.

The service costs $500 to set up and will work with PC Cards, PDAs and smartphones, embedded laptops, and modems. For SMBs that already use Verizon Wireless' services, this can be a solid alternative to scouting out a third-party supplier of VPN services.