Have you ever wondered how you can setup a remote connection to your office over the internet? The secure way for organizations to facilitate this connection is use a virtual private network (VPN).

VPNs use encryption and certificates to create a tunneled connection into a remote network. Once a user is authenticated, they can operate on the network as if they were connected to a switch in the office. VPNs allow organizations the ability to provide workers with remote connections to their files, emails and company data. Once the VPN connection is terminated, the user would have no way to access the network unless they successfully re-authenticate onto the VPN.

Building Your VPN Strategy

Think about the ways your end users need to interact with your business remotely, and consider the fact that your web-facing servers may require access to resources such as on-site databases in order to retrieve data for users of the website. In this scenario, you would have to provide remote servers with tunneled connection to databases. Has your business built a strategy that helps your services facilitate these remote connections?

The best way to start on this venture is to find a VPN platform that interacts with your firewall. Many firewalls have a VPN connection administration panel baked in, giving your organization an advantage when offering remote services to users. These platforms typically have proprietary VPN software that can be installed on desktops, laptops, and servers that require remote network connectivity.

Buying a firewall and utilizing the VPN functionality is often easier than setting up a web facing server that runs an application such as OpenVPN. From an administrative standpoint, your organization may have flexibility when deploying a public facing web host that brokers remote connections into your network. You will need to evaluate both solutions and see which works best for you.

Pricing your VPN Strategy

Think about who and what you want connecting to your network, and think about the security measures you’d like to implement throughout this infrastructure. It is entirely possible to build a secure VPN tunnel into your network using open source tools that are available freely online.

The downside to implementing these solutions is that you must typically have experience as a systems administrator in order to build out this service. If the service ever breaks or performs unexpected operations, you are limited to the open source community surrounding that specific project.

Get a Trusted VPN Provider

Other enterprises require more robust functionality, therefore they seek out VPN solutions from industry-trusted providers. Networking infrastructure providers such as Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, SonicWALL, and others have manufactured firewall appliances for your data center, that have VPN functionalities built into the client.

These platforms can become expensive, depending upon all of the bells and whistles you require for your VPN strategy. The upside to using hardware from a reputable vendor is that if there is an issue with your device, you can always call the support line in order to get help. If downtime can impact your bottom line, getting the paid technical support can be a lifesaver when none of your configurations seem to be working.

If you lack the technical expertise to implement a VPN connection into your network, we can help you build your remote network while recommending the top security practices and remote management techniques. If you’re unsure of how to build a VPN for your business, we’d love to help you build out this service — give us a call at (833) 482-6435 or contact us online today!

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