Remote work is a vital aspect of modern employment with proven benefits for both the workers and the employers. Employees don’t have to commute for hours in the morning, spend more time with their families, and work from the comfort of their homes. Similarly, business owners don’t have to pay for office spending, their employees get more productive and can hire talent around the world instead of in a small city. This sounds too good to be true right?
Well, while remote work does have these benefits and has been a great new way of working for some years now, it also presents security challenges. Providing secure access to business data from remote locations was not that effortless until recently. With the progress in the VPN market, organizations can now extend the reach of their resources to remote workers without compromising their networks. Let’s see how VPNs empower employees to work anywhere, securely, and effectively.
The Basics of VPNs
Definition and function of Virtual Private Networks
Virtual Private Networks, also known as VPNs, are tools used to ensure the security and privacy of communications over the Internet. VPN technology creates a private tunnel between the communicating devices and encrypts all the information between them. Encryption ensures that the communication stays confidential on its way.
How VPNs work to create secure connections
Whenever a user connects to the VPN software on their devices, it encrypts all the data before sending it to the recipient. This data is then transmitted to the VPN server of the vendor, gets decrypted there, and then forwarded to the destination device. This protects the transmitted data from malicious users on the Internet and creates a private tunnel for it to reach its destination.
Encryption and tunneling protocols used by VPNs
VPNs on the market utilize strong encryption algorithms such as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with different encryption key sizes depending on the need. They also use tunneling protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard to secure the transmitted information before sending it to the recipient. These processes first divide information into data packs, then encrypt it to create ciphertext, and lastly encapsulate it for secure transmission.
Choosing the Right VPN for Remote Work
Choosing the right VPN for remote work is a crucial step in securing your work-from-home employees. The thing is, there are several types of VPN each with different purposes. In the last few years, we’ve seen the introduction of some new VPN types that are strictly designed to serve remote employees. These are usually called remote access VPNs and they allow people to securely access business resources from anywhere in the world.
However, the process does not end with selecting the correct type of VPN, you first need to evaluate different vendors in regard to the security features and the level of encryption they offer. They should have a no-log policy for improved privacy, and they should have servers relevant to your remote employees’ location for better performance.
Next, request a demo from the potential VPN providers to check if they have a user-friendly interface. Make sure they are interoperable with different systems and applications. It is also important that they have a good reputation in the market. Last but not least, check the price differences and make the best decision for your business.
How do VPNs help secure remote work?
VPN tools have been used for some time in organizations to secure private networks, but these were mostly locationally restricted, meaning they were not able to secure remote connections. But with the recent developments in the cybersecurity industry, we now have great cloud-based VPN solutions that can help businesses secure remote work and empower their employees to work literally anywhere. Let’s check a few of the benefits of these VPN tools.
Secure data transmission
VPN uses two critical concepts to secure remote data transmission: encryption and tunneling. VPNs encrypt data transmitted between remote employees, preventing unauthorized access to business resources and private networks by using ciphertext instead of plaintext. In addition, they create a private tunnel between the end user and the private network, thus securing communication on insecure Wi-Fi connections.
Privacy protection
VPN tools hide the actual IP address of remote employees, making it virtually impossible for malicious users to track their online activities. Instead of local IP addresses which can give away your location, VPN tools assign different IPs for improved privacy. They also let users browse the Internet privately, preventing targeted ads and offering online anonymity. Online privacy is crucial when working remotely for healthy communication between the company network and the user.
Remote network access
One of the most challenging issues of the remote work model is providing secure access to resources when employees work from their homes, thousands of miles away. Remote access VPNs create a direct tunnel between the headquarters networks and the user device, allowing them to work as if they are physically in the office regardless of their locations. They can also securely communicate with other team members, collaborate on projects and share files.
Bypassing restrictions
Businesses now hire employees around the world, but even if they don’t need direct access to a specific network, they may face challenges using applications or accessing content that is restricted in their area. VPN solutions allow remote employees to utilize any resource or application even if it is limited to specific regions. They also bypass censorship in certain areas, ensuring freedom of information. Being able to access all the applications you need is a must to have a smooth remote work experience.
Protection Against Cyber Threats
VPN solutions come with additional security features that can protect you against various cyber threats. They can prevent malware infections or phishing attacks by blocking unfriendly websites or warning about untrusted downloads. But what is more important is that remote employees usually prefer to work from coffee shops or other public places, using insecure Wi-Fi connections. Even if the connection itself is not secure, VPN tools enable you to work without hackers intercepting it, thanks to encryption.