Many companies today no longer operate solely within their immediate geographic region. Some are expanding into new global markets, either by having an employee work from home in another city or by opening a branch office. Additionally, they use their devices in coffee shops, hotels, and airports.
Yet when workers use public Wi-Fi, their devices are vulnerable to attacks, including fake wireless access points and cookie theft. As covered in our blog, “Hacker Tricks: How You Can Protect Yourself,” hackers steal confidential data, scrape login information, take credit card numbers, install malware, and even take over your device. A Virtual Private Network can prevent many of these problems.
How do VPNs work?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a virtual private network. This VPN will connect remote employees to the company’s central server, enabling them to access and share internal documents quickly and securely. VPNs establish a secure connection by encrypting network traffic and enforcing password- and location-based policies. This security combination makes it more difficult for cybercriminals to intercept the company’s data. To connect to the VPN, users will either log in to the VPN client software on their computer or automatically connect to a dedicated device in the office.
What are the benefits of a VPN?
- Protects online privacy: Checking your email at the mall can put your company at risk, especially if you are using a public network. A VPN will block outsiders from accessing your emails and confidential data by encrypting the information on your device. Note: Be careful where you physically point your monitor so that passersby cannot view your confidential information.
- Supports remote and branch offices: Work from home? Opening another satellite office? No problem. A VPN will enable your network to scale with your clients by providing remote access to files, applications, printers, and other resources on the office network.
- Bypasses regional restrictions on certain websites: If you are vacationing in China, and you want to post an update to your company’s Facebook account. If you try to complete this simple task on a Chinese network, you are out of luck—the country blocks the social networking site. However, if you use a VPN, the network will treat you as if you are using your device in your home country (the United States in our case), allowing you to access the site.
- Supports industry data security compliance standards: Many industry regulations, such as HIPAA and SOX, require organizations to transmit and receive confidential information via encrypted channels. VPNs will ensure remote workers will continue to do exactly that.
- Cost-efficient alternative to owning or leasing lines: Owned and leased lines connect one office to another securely, but they can be cost-prohibitive. With a VPN, your company can inexpensively add new users and reduce the need to purchase expensive equipment by leveraging the local provider’s internet access.
What are the options for using a VPN?
- Hosted VPNs: If your company wants to share files and network resources with individual users without configuring a router or using a PC as a VPN server, Hosted VPNs are a great solution. This option is excellent for employees working at home or on the go. There are free options available, such as Hotspot Shield, but these programs may track your activity and deliver targeted advertising. Subscription-based services, such as StrongVPN and CenturyLink, offer greater security and privacy. Your IT department would need to pre-install the client software on the company devices. Then, every time a user needs to use the VPN, they will log into the software with a username and a password before entering the protected network.
- Use a VPN router: If you want greater control over company devices and employee computer activity, consider deploying your own VPN devices. This solution is excellent for companies rolling out entire branch offices. Unlike Hosted VPNs, your IT department will not have to pre-install client software on each user’s computer. SonicWall Secure Remote Access appliances enable users to access files, email, applications, remote desktops, and more from their PCs and mobile devices on the company’s Local Area Network (LAN). In addition to encryption, platforms like SonicWall will provide robust firewalls to protect against malware attacks and cookie theft. All users would need to do is log in to the Virtual Office portal.
If you’re interested in a review of your business technology’s security and in setting up a VPN, contact SwiftTech Solutions at 877-794-3811 or email info@swifttechsolutions.com for a free consultation.
SOURCES
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Cisco. How Virtual Private Networks Work. (2008, October 13). Retrieved from: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/security-vpn/ipsec-negotiation-ike-protocols/14106-how-vpn-works.pdf
Rouse, M. virtual private network (VPN). (2007, May). Retrieved from: http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/definition/virtual-private-network
Dell SonicWALL. Secure Remote Access. Retrieved from: http://www.sonicwall.com/us/en/solutions/Solutions_Secure_Remote_Access.html
Henry, A. Why You Should Start Using a VPN (and How to Choose the Best One for Your Needs. (2012, September 5). Retrieved from: http://lifehacker.com/5940565/why-you-should-start-using-a-vpn-and-how-to-choose-the-best-one-for-your-needs
Geier, E. How (and why) to set up a VPN today. (2013, March 19). Retrieved from: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2030763/how-and-why-to-set-up-a-vpn-today.html