As technology has grown tremendously over the past decade, companies have changed the way they do business. Now the corporate network has been built with better security solutions. These developments have also led companies to improve their working models. Remote work and hybrid work models have been around for a while now. But working remotely has taken on new meaning since the pandemic began. This has required companies to move their workforce to a remote environment. Now, the growing trend of remote working is playing a crucial role in employment.
Like any other work model, the remote work environment has its own vulnerabilities and strengths. If the network is not properly secured, businesses can face serious consequences as network security threats become increasingly complex and advanced. In fact, the average cost of a data breach worldwide was recorded at $4.35 million in 2022. It turns out that the healthcare industry has the highest global average cost of a data breach at $10 million.
Thus, companies with a remote workforce must ensure secure and reliable connections between their employees and their corporate network. Additionally, with a corporate VPN solution, companies can secure their corporate network and the sensitive data on it. Now let’s take a detailed look at the role business VPNs play in the era of remote work.
What is a Business VPN?
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are tools that provide encrypted tunnels to connect user devices to one or more servers. Business VPNs are exceptionally suitable for organizational purposes aside from personal use. The difference is that they ensure employees and remote workers have secure access to private corporate networks and corporate resources. A corporate VPN provides end-to-end encryption for all endpoints connecting to the corporate network, keeping the network edge and its users secure.
Also, a business VPN solution may come with additional tools such as static IP addresses, traffic monitoring and network segmentation to allow multiple access possible. While businesses aim for extra security with business VPNs, other security-related features include no data logging, no IP address leaks, a kill switch, and multi-factor authentication (MFA ). A corporate virtual private network can also reduce IT costs and reduce the risk of data breaches when deploying high-speed dedicated servers. Businesses can benefit from a business VPN – mitigating security risks, making remote working easier and securing their business against cyber threats.
The Benefits of Business VPN in Remote Work
1- Secure access to remote data
The latest events and technological advances have changed the way businesses operate and exposed new security vulnerabilities. Nowadays, remote work is increasing dramatically across the world. Thus, secure remote access is crucial for businesses to protect their network and sensitive data from cyber threats. Corporate VPNs enable secure remote access to corporate networks from any endpoint, regardless of location. By establishing a secure tunnel and encryption for data transfer within the network, companies can prevent malicious actors from stealing confidential information and harming their business. Overall, enterprises can create a single shared network among multiple offices and remote workers and ensure its security.
2- Robust privacy and data security
Encryption is crucial when dealing with confidential or sensitive business data. Encryption provides an additional layer of security against cyber threats as data must still be decrypted even if it is stolen. A professional VPN guarantees end-to-end encryption and no logging policy in all network connections to ensure safe data sharing and privacy. Additionally, businesses can ensure that only authorized personnel can access encrypted data with a business VPN.
3- Flexible security option
Since business VPNs offer high scalability and flexibility, businesses can easily manipulate VPN coverage within the network quite quickly. Corporate VPNs can be implemented on multiple devices if needed. This way, remote workers can access required data and the network on any device with a secure connection through business VPNs, while corporate assets are protected. As the network perimeter expands, enterprise VPN security also expands to cover all endpoints. Additionally, remote worker VPN connections are configured in such a way that all devices are linked with a secure tunneling protocol and authentication to create a single shared network for the company.
4- Central management
VPNs provide much more efficient management for multi-user access to corporate networks. Rather than managing and configuring multiple individual connections, administrators can manage all user access, monitor network traffic, and update software from a single console. This reduces the extra work and time required when managing many individual VPN accounts. Additionally, a single point of administration provided by enterprise VPNs allows scaling to the number of users and endpoints required. For example, it is easier to restrict or remove access when employees change roles or leave their jobs. Thus, corporate VPNs protect the internal network against cybersecurity threats such as malware and zero-day attacks by ensuring regular updates on each endpoint and centralized management of each network activity.
5- Affordable security solution
Business VPNs can be a bit more expensive option than other VPNs, but they still provide an affordable security solution compared to other security products such as intruder protection software. This is why investing in a powerful business VPN is especially necessary for small businesses. Because small businesses are constantly targeted by cybercriminals due to their size and investment in security. Business VPNs protect customer data and your network with additional encryption and security features through a single solution. However, this may be insufficient to protect your network as cybercriminals are constantly looking for ways to exploit businesses.
6- Compatible with old systems
A business VPN allows companies to facilitate their digital transformation to the cloud. In the era of digitization and remote working, it is crucial to adapt to the latest developments. This is because outdated technologies are susceptible to being exploited by cyber threats and seriously harming the business. In this way, companies that lack resources can implement a professional VPN to move to the cloud. Business VPNs require no configuration changes and overlay existing apps and software. All it takes is internet access for business VPNs to secure connections to networks and the apps they contain.
Last words
Remember that your network security is only as strong as the weakest part of the whole network. This is primarily why businesses of all sizes need to invest in a robust business VPN to defend their network against cybersecurity threats. As it guarantees encrypted remote access to corporate networks and data sharing with additional security features such as a kill switch, no data logging and multi-factor authentication, remote working is safer than ever.