Once upon a time, network security used to revolve around on-premise servers. A firewall safeguarded business data as Internet traffic flowed in and out of the network.
However, in today’s modern business landscape, things have changed. With the sudden and exponential growth of off-site work due to the COVID-19 outbreak, cybersecurity professionals had to reevaluate their security plans.
They had to ensure that their online privacy solutions could protect their most valuable asset—their data—regardless of where employees accessed it.
Even as restrictions are lifted, remote teams continue to be a part of many organizations. This means that more and more of a business’s crucial data and services are now hosted in the cloud.
These two factors highlight the ongoing need to consistently reassess network security.
The good news is that there’s a simple and widely accessible network security solution for remote workforce Internet access—a VPN, also known as a virtual private network. Now using a VPN is a must and now you will find out why.
What is VPN security?
A virtual private network (VPN) is basically a network host for your team and resources that are private and secure, protected by 2FA and data encryption. It allows your team to connect from any location, making it super convenient and accessible.
Wondering how a VPN works?
Well, network security focuses on devices, not just endpoints, to prevent unauthorized entry into corporate networks.
A VPN works by creating a virtual tunnel within your network, allowing secure data transfer from Point A to Point B.
With a VPN connection, employees are provided with tunnel access, typically through an ID and password, enabling them to safely access both the private network and the public Internet.
As for unauthorized users? A VPN solution ensures that they are unable to infiltrate your network or connected devices.
Purpose of VPN
#1 Boosts Network Security
Encryption scrambles data so only authorized users can access it. If someone tries to intercept it, like hackers or fraudsters, tough luck for them. Imagine one of your employees working from a café, shared workspace, hotel, or airport.
That employee has the proper authorization to access your company’s business-grade VPN (just to clarify, we’re not talking about free VPN services here).
Using a VPN client on their preferred device and a public wifi network, the employee establishes an encrypted connection between their device and your VPN.
Both ends of the network connection set up encryption keys, which encode and decode the shared information.
Once the employee connects to the café’s wifi and establishes an encrypted VPN connection through a VPN client, their data is fully protected by the VPN.
Even if cyber fraudsters manage to breach the café’s network, your employee and their data remain secure within the VPN tunnel.
#2 Internet Speed Improvement
Your ISP has every right to slow down your Internet speed if it sees you doing something they don’t consider a priority.
For example, it can limit the speed for downloading via torrents or when watching movies.
A VPN hides your activities from the ISP, but its encryption also reduces network speed.
This is true, but modern VPN speeds are almost equal to your original speed. If your VPN is slow, that’s the problem. Check if a VPN slows down your Internet and if so, try switching to a better provider.
VeePN tests have shown that its servers have enough bandwidth to work comfortably, without slowing down.
#3 Access Control
Access control plays a crucial role in network security, just like encryption. It determines who can access what, be it data, resources, or applications, using authentication and authorization.
As organizations increasingly migrate their data and apps to the cloud, the importance of access control grows even further, providing more robust security than single sign-on (SSO).
By restricting employee access to only the necessary data and apps for their work, network administrators can effectively mitigate the risks of both internal and external data breaches.
This is accomplished by creating multiple VPNs that connect to various resources. Then, admins assign users to specific VPNs based on access control system policies and individual employee requirements.
#4 Security Mobile Devices
Many companies nowadays implement a BYOD (bring your own device) policy, which allows employees to use their preferred operating system(s) such as Apple iOS, Microsoft Windows, Android, or Linux.
The BYOD market size is projected to reach $366.95 billion by 2022, a significant increase from its $94.15 billion worth in 2014.
The reason behind this growth is quite evident: enabling employees to utilize their personal devices instead of company-issued ones offers convenience and cost-effectiveness.
However, it is crucial to address the potential concern of securing online activity on BYOD devices. Given the multitude of devices utilized by employees for work purposes, accessing corporate networks becomes a necessity, leading to the utilization of VPN technologies.
Through VPNs, network administrators can control which devices can gain access.
By employing a remote access VPN client, employees can connect to public WiFi networks while ensuring that their confidential and personal data remains invisible to the ISP (Internet service provider).
#5 Mitigate DNS Hijacking Risk
Content filters are designed to protect networks and users by blocking harmful content. Modern cloud-based filters are both efficient and effective.
The most apparent use for content filtering is to prevent the access of inappropriate or NSFW (‘not safe for work’) content.
Additionally, content filters safeguard against various DNS hijacking attempts, including middleman attacks, malware attacks, cache poisoning, rogue DNS servers, and router exploitation.
An enterprise-grade VPN service can play a vital role in preventing each of these DNS hijacking scenarios by providing protection to routers, and DNS servers, and blocking access to known phishing sites.
Conclusion
Virtual private networks (VPNs) play a crucial role in establishing secure connections to networks over the Internet.
Whether you’re using them for work or leisure, VPNs are one of the best ways to browse the Internet safely, and securely.
VPNs also provide the added benefits of bypassing geographical restrictions, utilizing streaming services, and maintaining anonymity.