Virtual Private Network

Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a solution to allow remote access for employees to connect to their organization’s internal network from their home or while traveling. VPN traffic goes over a public network so encryption is important. A VPN provides a secure communications method for data transmitted between networks.

Employees will often use a VPN when working remotely in order to connect to their company network. While public Wi-Fi is convenient, it is also unsecure. Using a VPN ensures that sensitive company data is encrypted. This works like a filter by turning all the data into indecipherable text.

There are three types of VPN:

• Site-to-site VPN: Used to connect branch offices to a central office over the internet when the offices are separated by distance.
• Remote access VPN: Used to allow individual users to remotely connect to a central network. The remote devices that connect to the network are referred to as endpoints.
• Cloud VPN: Also known as a hosted VPN, it allows users to securely access a company’s applications, data, and files in the cloud through a website, desktop, or mobile application. Cloud VPNs are accessible and do not require any type of VPN infrastructure on the user’s end. In other words, a company can authenticate users without having to purchase expensive hardware or networking equipment.