In today’s hybrid and remote work era, consumers and businesses looking to enhance their cyber defense stances can look into a virtual private network service.
It’s important to understand that all VPN services aren’t created equal, whether you’re a consumer looking for increased protection for your information or a business executive seeking to protect your company’s online assets.
Many factors must be considered when choosing a VPN service, whether for business or personal usage, including data storage and download speeds.
To help enterprises maximize their VPN security, we have gathered insights from industry experts on best practices, potential pitfalls, and how to ensure the highest level of protection.
Why You Should Start Using a VPN?
Utilizing a virtual private network (VPN) for your business has numerous advantages and potential disadvantages.
Better Security
Hackers may breach even firewalled and antivirus-protected internet connections. Antivirus software cannot stop 75% of prevalent malware and other infections. However, it protects against viruses, malware, and trojans when updated.
Most internet connections aren’t encrypted. A VPN encrypts the data it passes. It safeguards sensitive customer and client data, internal papers, internal communication, and other trade secrets.
Safe and secure data sharing
When it comes to securely exchanging data with both internal and external parties, business VPNs are fantastic.
Ensure that your business VPN safeguards your company network and internet connection. Data is encrypted via a virtual private network (VPN) before being sent or stored online, and data storage, decryption, and use are strictly limited to authorized business personnel.
A company virtual private network (VPN) is crucial for data security in this age of constant news coverage of significant data breaches.
Remote data access
Who says you must bring all your info on that corporate trip? More firms are moving to cloud storage because data may be held captive if you forget your phone, your computer is stolen, or you are detained at an international border. How do you safely connect to your cloud?
A corporate VPN lets you access a secure server with the data you need remotely. End-to-end encryption protects and remotely hosts your data on your VPN. Businesses that wish to boost security without limiting employee access should use a corporate VPN.
Setup and costs
Remember that commercial or corporate VPNs have downsides. Integrating traditional commercial VPNs with a company’s network takes time, energy, and effort. Small businesses or those without IT departments might struggle to provide VPN access based on user, server, and budget. Those issues created the enterprise cloud VPN, which requires less time and capital to install.
Management And Operations
Unless you subscribe to a managed cloud VPN service, a group of people will be required to oversee the VPN’s operations and security. Current operational engineers may handle this most of the time, but there are instances when you’ll need to assign a full-time employee to maintain and upgrade your VPN. The ongoing expense of keeping your company’s VPN environment clean, secure, and operational is worth it for the sake of your customers and staff.
Essential features for VPN security
Here’s a list of the five best features of a robust VPN:
- Best-in-class encryption: AES-256 is another name for AES, or Advanced Encryption Standard, which uses 256-bit keys. The U.S. government uses the same robust encryption security professionals worldwide use to safeguard sensitive data.
- IP address leak prevention: Using a VPN conceals your IP address and secures your online activities from being traced. Some VPNs reveal your IP address due to bugs. Always use a VPN that avoids IP leaks and read reviews for reliability.
- No information logging: No-log VPNs do not keep your internet activities, login information, or browser history. Even if someone hacks the VPN, this is essential for privacy. Always check whether a VPN records data and how it manages user data.
- VPN kill switch: Internet access may return to your ordinary connection if your VPN connection breaks, exposing your data. A VPN kill switch closes apps by default to prevent data leakage when the connection dies.
- MFA: A VPN with MFA strengthens security by restricting network access to authorized users. After inputting your login and password, your phone may get a code or message. It hinders threat actors from gaining access.
VPN Security Challenges Businesses Usually Face
- Weak Encryption Standards – Aging encryption protocols may leave businesses vulnerable to cyberattacks.
- Unauthorized Access – When login credentials are hacked, unauthorized users can access the business network.
- VPN Misconfiguration – Inadequate configuration can leave openings in security, exposing data.
- Inadequate Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Authentication using a single password is not enough to safeguard against cyber attacks.
- Dependence on Public or Weak Wi-Fi Networks – Employees using unsecured networks without additional protection put the entire business at risk.
Tips About VPN Security
Beware That Free Services Monetize User Data
Data security is often the goal of utilizing a VPN. Free VPN services should be avoided as they often profit off their customers or the data they purport to safeguard. The locations of commercial (fee-based) VPN services’ points of presence and whether or not they maintain user traffic records should be considered while evaluating them.
Recognize How Consumer and Enterprise VPNs Differ From One Another
Corporations use VPN technology to secure data when connecting faraway offices or individual PCs, but non-business individuals who want to safeguard their identity online also purchase VPNs. Although both systems use VPN, the settings vary significantly, leading to various levels of safety.
Look for written privacy guarantees and automated protections.
Verify whether the VPN provider has a record of violating their no-logs policy and ask for a formal guarantee that they will never keep any of your data. It is essential to include automated security measures like a kill switch that disconnects the user from the internet if the VPN stops functioning.
Focus On Data Sovereignty
The first consideration for a user when examining VPN services is data sovereignty. The basic need must be that user data is only decrypted where and when the user specifies, regardless of the assurances, performance, or cost benefits that are provided. The VPN provider cannot decrypt user data to offer an end-to-end connection.
Check VPN Trust Initiative Participation
A VPN should quietly protect every digital move in today’s difficult cybersecurity environment. Choose a VPN that is simple to use and gives the finest speeds, privacy, and security features beyond a connection. The VPN Trust Initiative indicates transparency for VPN companies.
Understanding the consumer requirement for VPN is vital, but geographical reach is critical when choosing a consumer VPN. VPNs affect internet speed in several regions. VPNs protect data transport, but a faulty VPN may frustrate and disappoint customers.
Consider Self-Hosting
Verify if the VPN uses modern security measures and provides robust encryption for both data and DNS. The overall idea is sound, and there are open-source projects like Outline that make it easy to run your own VPN. It adds another safeguard and ensures that no other parties keep tabs on your information.
Final Thoughts
A secure corporate VPN is required for remote access in a secure manner and the safeguarding of sensitive information. Executing these professional guidelines can significantly reduce cybersecurity threats without compromising operational efficiency. Enforcing stringent authentication procedures, training staff, and regularly updating VPN policy can help protect your company in an increasingly digital environment.
By following these expert tips, businesses can protect their data, secure remote access, and maintain a strong defense against evolving cyber threats.
If you are looking for an excellent VPN, Bitdefender Premium VPN stands out in this space for its robust encryption, no-log policy, ease of deployment, and tight integration with Bitdefender’s security ecosystem. You can also visit us at the Softvire software store to check out some of our antivirus software solutions available for you and your business.
