What is a Business VPN? Its Uses and Limitations

With the help of a business VPN, distant workers can access secure internal networks from their homes and do business. Today, you’ll learn about VPN uses and limitations for your business.

What is a Business VPN? Its Uses and Limitations

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows users to securely connect to another network over the internet by encrypting the connection from the user’s device. A VPN increases the security of an internet connection and provides online privacy and anonymity.

VPNs are used by organizations, governments, and companies of all kinds to secure remote internet connections and guard against data eavesdropping. Individuals also use personal VPNs to conceal their whereabouts, securely encrypt data, and access the internet anonymously. Learn more about the Business VPN’s uses and limitations in this article.

What is a Business VPN?

A business VPN is exactly as it sounds like: a VPN connection that companies and other professional organizations use to safely connect their branch offices and remote workers to the software, information, tools, and also resources they require to do their duties.

Traditional boundary security models are used by many businesses to protect their corporate networks. Business VPNs supplement perimeter security procedures by providing branch office and remote employees with a virtual network through which they can access the corporate network from any location in the world using a public or private internet connection.

Types of Business VPNs

Site-to-site VPNs and remote access VPNs are the two types of Business VPNs.

Remote Access VPNs

Individual users can connect to a remote network, typically the company’s internal network, using a remote access VPN. VPNs for remote access use two essential parts:

A dedicated server or a program on a shared server that is linked to the company’s internal network is known as a Network Access Server (NAS).
Software installed on a user’s computer or mobile device is a VPN client.

The user launches their VPN software to build an encrypted “tunnel” to the NAS when they want to access the company’s network. An important security benefit for remote workers is accessing the internal network over this encrypted tunnel without revealing their traffic.

Site-to-Site VPNs

Site-to-site VPNs build a single virtual network accessible from various office locations. Each of these may have several distinct users. Instead of hosting on each user’s device, the VPN client in this architecture hosts on each office’s local network. Users can access the shared network in this way without using a VPN client separately at each office location. However, they lose access if they quit the workplace.

What differentiates business VPNs from user VPNs?

Business VPNs and consumer-focused VPNs establish an encrypted connection with a remote network to function. The main distinction is in their intended purposes.

Users and teams can connect to the internal network of their firm using a business VPN. On the other hand, a commercial VPN joins the user to a remote server—or group of servers. That communicates with the open internet on the user’s behalf.

Uses of Business VPN

Data collection from clients, consumers, and clients is risky, but using a VPN can allay their concerns (and yours). Even though a lot of them won’t probably know what a VPN is. A little training can go a long way. Wouldn’t you rather rely on a business that went above and beyond to protect your data than one that didn’t?

A VPN is an improvement that is well worth the cost. Prices can vary, but they are typically fairly reasonable. A VPN is an inexpensive option that is effective right away and will be a wonderful addition to the security of your business.

For secure network access, while they operate remotely, branch office staff, remote employees, or staff going beyond the locked corporate boundary require a business VPN.

Limitations of Business VPNs

When a VPN is used as intended and adheres to current cryptographic methods, It can successfully encrypt data traveling between remote workers or teams and the internal network of their employer. Additionally, VPNs are less expensive and simpler to manage than traditional methods like hiring a secure “leased line” from an ISP or manually adding specific IP addresses belonging to distant employees to an “allowlist.”

Business VPNs do, however, have some limitations. Some of them in the list below:

Risks to Security

If a hacker manages to get a remote worker’s VPN credentials. That hacker will access all programs and information on the corresponding network.

Fines for Lateness

If a business employs a cloud-based VPN, its NAS is located in a data centre that is geographically far from its internal network. Every request made between staff members and the network is now delayed as a result of this added step.

Complexities of cloud and hybrid clouds

Since many commercial applications are housed in the cloud rather than on an organization’s internal network, VPNs cannot be used with them. And to ensure secure access, those programs often employ their own security measures.

However, those technologies are not entirely under the control of IT employees, and they may find it difficult to pinpoint exactly who is using these applications—both crucial security considerations.

Monitoring Cost

If a business utilizes an on-premises NAS to connect with its employees’ VPN clients. It must regularly upgrade that hardware to keep up with the most recent cyber threats. A similar circumstance occurs if employee VPN usage exceeds the NAS’s capacity to manage traffic. The company must replace that NAS immediately to prevent overburden and failure.