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Four types of specialized VPN servers
What is a VPN?
A commercial VPN, or virtual private network, is an encrypted tunnel. After connecting to it, All internet activity passes through a secure service. When employees access cloud applications or their company’s network, business VPNs protect all data — including confidential client information and worker locations — from prying eyes.
Business VPN solutions offer features that personal services don't. For example, many provide an administrative portal, allowing centralized control over multiple VPNs. Some give discounts for bulk license purchasing.A VPN for business use may include features suitable for small to large corporations, such as:
- Activity reports.
- Dedicated account managers.
- User licenses that are transferable.
- Integrate with the single-sign-on tools.
- Device security posture monitoring.
- Fixed IPs with dedicated servers.
- Network segmentation.
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How does a VPN work?
Internet activity, in fact, is quite like the public highway – business VPNs encrypt data and then send it through a secure tunnel. The private pathway prevents advertisers, internet providers and hackers from observing online activities, including uploads and downloads.
According to Justas Pukys, Surfshark VPN product manager, "the core functionality of a VPN is to protect and encrypt users' data so that third parties such as hackers, cybercriminals or in some cases, governments can't track users or see what they are doing online.
A business VPN client is the application installed on your phone or computer, which encrypts your request. Before it is sent over your internet connection to the VPN server. The VPN server decrypts Request is passed to the relevant web server; upon a response from the web server, VPN Encrypts its response before sending it back to you. Your VPN client decrypts the information, and your desired website or application will load.
Of course, this process happens quickly. After establishing a VPN connection, users access the internet as usual. The business VPN works in the background, encrypting and decrypting data, so Your online requests, activities and information aren't exposed.
Here’s how a business VPN works:
- Download desktop or mobile client: Apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android require a username and password for identity verification.
- The business IT team guides the user through the process: Depending on company policies, users may need to turn on a kill switch, choose the company-approved protocol and set up split tunneling.
- Employees connect to the VPN: A VPN app has a single connection/disconnection button. Alternatively, the businesses and users can set up the account to be connected automatically.
- The VPN server starts encrypting data and online activity: Once Connected, the VPN client encrypts or decrypts all interactions before sending online Requests through the VPN tunnel.
What does a VPN cost?
Most basic VPN services tend to start at an annual basis of $2.59 per user per month. But this amount differs with the provider, plan tier and billing cadence. Most VPN Solutions give single tier pricing, but most provide subscription plans. Pricier plans can potentially enable more concurrent connections and bonus features like a static IP address or Antivirus tools.
Individuals can choose different billing terms, which can reduce the VPN cost. Annual, biennial Or triennial options tend to be less expensive than month-to-month plans. Providers may also offer There are weekly billing and bulk licensing options in which business owners can purchase three or more licenses. at a lower price.
How to choose the right VPN for your small business
Before searching for VPN solutions, think of why you want a VPN and who will use it. Are you Connecting remote workers to your core office network? Need a site-to-site solution? Or are you A solopreneur needing a VPN while using public Wi-Fi?
Next, explore a VPN's privacy and security tools. As Pukys adds, "a good rule of thumb is The stronger the encryption, the better." Pukys further advises its users "to consider additional security features that a VPN will give to a user for better safety, look for VPN providers with periodic and public audits ensuring that the companies comply with their set policies.”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends researching services by reading VPN reviews and ratings. It also suggests checking out app store pages to see "what types of data the app will run on your device.”
Compare small business VPNs by looking at:
- Download and upload speeds.
- Available protocols.
- Per user cost.
- The number of servers and locations.
- Ease of use for employees.
- VPN features, like a kill switch and split tunneling.
- Custom configuration capabilities.
- Administrative dashboards.
- VPN company history, audits and security measures.
- Time to implement and deploy.
- Single sign-on and MFA functionality.
- Scalability.
- Desktop and mobile app functionality.
- Ability to configure the VPN for compliance standards.
- Ease of adding or removing users.
- Advanced security tools and features.
- Customer support options and responsiveness.
What we don’t recommend
We usually do not recommend businesses use free VPNs. The FTC describes how "many VPN Apps are free because they sell advertising within the app, or share your information and online. activity with other companies." Use the free version to test a VPN service to see if the application is easy to use. Then switch to a paid plan for everyday business use.
Most larger teams should avoid consumer VPNs. These lack centralized billing and management business process simplification tools. The price per user is the same or a little higher for team-centric subscriptions but lets your company administrator oversee your VPN program.
But solopreneurs and independent contractors are not necessarily looking for business-level tools. found on higher priced plans and services.
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