Business VPN for Remote Access: Enhanced Security for Organizations

Remote and hybrid work policies have made securing sensitive business data more crucial than ever. But even without these policies, most organizations have workers who, at some point, will access company systems from unsecured Wi-Fi spots in airports, hotels, and coffee shops.

Add to that a surge in sophisticated phishing attempts, and it’s clear why organizations are at risk of data breaches, financial losses, and reputation damage.

Business VPN solutions can help mitigate the risks of unsecured remote connections. They function as technological armor by masking user locations and encrypting confidential communications to ensure data remains unaltered and secure during transmission.

In this article, you’ll learn why you need a business virtual private network (VPN) to enhance security and remote access and what the benefits of a specialized business VPN solution are compared to traditional VPNs. We will also explore how to choose the best business VPN for your specific needs.

What is a Business VPN?

A business VPN is a technology designed to create a secure and private connection over the internet for businesses. Unlike personal VPNs, business VPNs are tailored to support multiple users and devices, ensuring that all internet traffic is encrypted and protected from unauthorized access.

This secure connection safeguards sensitive business data, making sure that communications and transactions remain confidential.

What Makes a VPN Secure for Business?

Business VPNs come equipped with advanced security features such as:

Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Single sign-on (SSO)
Dedicated IP addresses

These features enhance network security and streamline user access and management. By encrypting internet traffic, a business VPN ensures that data remains secure, even when accessed from remote locations or public networks.

This makes it an essential tool for maintaining network security and secure access in today’s increasingly remote work environment.

Why You Need a Business VPN

Without a business VPN for remote access, workers would connect to enterprise networks, systems, and resources over regular networks, whether home internet services or public networks. Both scenarios can be fraught with vulnerabilities.

For instance, weak passwords or default admin credentials can grant unauthorized access. An attacker can exploit outdated firmware or insecure Wi-Fi settings to intercept and decipher communications. While public networks at hotels, airports, and restaurants pose risks like man-in-the-middle attacks or eavesdropping, home networks aren’t exempt. Vulnerabilities like open ports or universal plug and play that can lead to unauthorized access and potentially compromised devices or networks can be misused to expose sensitive work data.

Good security procedures require that a remote connection to a company’s internal network must be encrypted and secure. By encrypting all data transmitted, a business VPN solution ensures that the connection to work premises remains secure and confidential, irrespective of the network’s vulnerabilities.

For large organizations, an enterprise VPN is crucial as it offers enhanced security, reliability, and ease of deployment tailored to support remote work and protect corporate resources.

Why Choose a Business VPN Over a Traditional VPN?

Why should your enterprise choose a business VPN and not a traditional VPN solution which can be free? Let's explore some key differences:

Traditional or "Legacy" VPNs

Secure Connection Only. Traditional VPNs establish a secure connection between the user and the internet or a private network, ensuring data is encrypted.
Limited IT Management. These solutions don’t provide robust tools for IT teams to enforce security policies, manage configurations, or perform audits.
Focus on Individual Use. Designed for personal use, traditional VPNs lack the administrative controls necessary for managing multiple users in a corporate setting.

Business VPNs

Secure Access Plus Policy Management. Business VPNs provide a secure tunnel to company resources while allowing IT administrators to enforce policies, update configurations, and conduct audits remotely.
Centralized IT Control. IT departments can manage employee access to critical systems, monitor connections, and ensure devices remain compliant with company standards, even when employees work from outside the office.
Seamless Integration with Core Systems. Business VPNs integrate directly with company systems, like Active Directory, ensuring devices stay secure and up-to-date with minimal user intervention.

A business mesh VPN alternative like Tailscale allows employees to access company resources securely

A business mesh VPN (like Tailscale) allows remote workers to securely connect to company resources while simultaneously offering network administrators an easy way to manage the connection and users’ access to resources.

The Benefits of a Business VPN

A business VPN solution offers advanced security features, is easy to implement and use, protects sensitive business information, and maintains the integrity of business operations.

Let’s explore why these benefits are important for an organization.

Advanced Security Features

Traditional VPNs are primarily designed to safeguard personal privacy and security, so they come with limitations that don’t meet the security standards of modern businesses. For instance:

Generic security features are not tailored to safeguard specific business applications.
Encrypt data in transit, but can lack the advanced security configurations you need for enterprise-level oversight and regulatory compliance.

In contrast, a secure business VPN solution offers several advanced security features to protect your business such as SSO and MFA, end-to-end encryption and fine-grained control over network access.

Ease of Use

Because traditional VPNs were built with individual use in mind, using them for business can complicate setup, risk misconfigurations, and require extra training for employees.

In contrast, setting up Tailscale is a breeze. Its zero-config deployment model eliminates the need for intricate configurations and technical expertise. By automating much of the setup process, Tailscale allows you to quickly integrate secure network connections without disrupting productivity.

Privacy

Traditional VPNs offer some security, but don’t always prioritize user privacy. Some providers maintain logs detailing user activities, connection times, and even IP addresses that can be vulnerable to leaks and hacks. Without strict no-log policies, there’s no guarantee that user activities remain confidential.

Internet access plays a crucial role in ensuring privacy and security. VPNs like Private Internet Access (PIA) manage internet access effectively for businesses, ensuring safe and controlled connections to SaaS applications and private resources.

Tailscale’s coordination server handles only public keys, ensuring minimal data collection, and its DERP relay servers are engineered not to log your data, as verifiable through Tailscale’s open source code.

Using Tailscale also does not mean that you give up ownership of your network. For example, to ensure that the public internet traffic details of your company’s employees remain inaccessible, Tailscale ensures that if it uses exit nodes, they remain exclusively under your control. Whether you choose to use MagicDNS or split DNS, Tailscale ensures that your public DNS queries are not logged.

Network Resilience

Most organizations don’t just need security; they require a resilient network that ensures seamless operations and proper business continuity even amid unforeseen challenges.

Traditional VPNs are structured around a centralized architecture, so they can be vulnerable to outages if their primary server or data center faces issues.

Diagram of a traditional VPN hub and spoke VPN.

A lack of efficient failover mechanisms might lead to dropped connections without automatic rerouting. This means downtime for users and operational disruptions.

Secure VPN Protocols

Secure VPN protocols are the backbone of any effective business VPN, ensuring that data is transmitted securely and privately over the internet. These protocols are designed to protect business data from unauthorized access, interception, and eavesdropping, providing a secure and private connection for remote workers and business networks.

Some of the most common secure VPN protocols include:

OpenVPN: A popular and highly secure protocol that uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect data. It is known for its flexibility and strong security features.
IPSec: A widely used protocol that encrypts data at the network layer, providing end-to-end security. It is often used in combination with other protocols for enhanced security.
WireGuard: A fast and secure protocol that uses state-of-the-art cryptography to protect data. It is known for its simplicity and high performance.
L2TP/IPSec: A protocol that combines the security of IPSec with the reliability of L2TP, providing a robust solution for secure data transmission.

These secure VPN protocols ensure that business data remains protected from unauthorized access, making them a critical component of any business VPN solution. By using these protocols, businesses can provide a secure and private connection for their remote workers, ensuring that sensitive information is always protected.

Setting Up a Business VPN

Setting up a business VPN is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few simple steps. By following these steps, businesses can quickly and easily deploy a VPN solution that provides a secure and private connection for their employees and networks.

Choose a Business VPN Provider: Select a business VPN provider that meets your specific business needs. Consider factors such as security features, ease of use, and compatibility with your existing systems.
Install the VPN Software: Install the VPN software on all devices and networks that will be using the VPN. This includes computers, smartphones, and any other devices that require secure access.
Configure the VPN Settings: Configure the VPN settings according to your business requirements. This includes selecting the appropriate protocol, encryption methods, and authentication methods to ensure a secure connection.
Test the VPN Connection: Test the VPN connection to ensure that it is secure and private. Verify that all data is encrypted and that the connection is stable and reliable.
Deploy the VPN Solution: Deploy the VPN solution to your employees and networks. Ensure that all devices and connections are protected, and provide training to employees on how to use the VPN effectively.

By following these steps, businesses can set up a business VPN solution that provides secure and private access to company resources. This not only enhances network security but also ensures that remote workers can access the information they need without compromising data integrity.

How Tailscale Helps Businesses

Tailscale helps businesses with its advanced security features such as SSO and MFA, end-to-end encryption, access control lists, and SSH.

Single sign-on (SSO) and multifactor authentication (MFA): Tailscale integrates with your existing identity provider to streamline user authentication. Employees can use their familiar credentials to access the network, eliminating the need for VPN-specific login credentials. Additionally, the inclusion of multifactor authentication adds an extra layer of security, safeguarding against unauthorized access attempts.
End-to-end encryption: Tailscale shields your data, traversing the network with end-to-end encryption. This means that even if data is intercepted, it remains unintelligible to malicious actors. Tailscale relies on the WireGuard protocol, a proven and modern VPN technology, to ensure that data remains confidential and secure.
Access control lists (ACLs): Tailscale’s ACL feature gives you granular control over network access so you can define precisely which users have access to specific devices. This feature not only mitigates the risks associated with unauthorized access but also ensures compliance with industry regulations.
Tailscale SSH: Tailscale’s SSH service uses integration with access control policies using Tailscale’s infrastructure. The result is secure and authenticated SSH connections that are easy to use.

Its zero-config deployment, cross-platform compatibility, and use of the Wireguard protocol make it fast and easy to deploy and use.

Tailscale's business VPN alternative has been designed to protect your privacy and leave you in control of your own network while providing failsafes in case of network failure.

Ready to get started with Tailscale? Pricing starts at $6 per active user per month, or you can use this form to contact us to learn more.

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How does Tailscale provide network privacy for businesses?

Tailscale protect your organization’s privacy through end-to-end encryption and is designed to ensure the private encryption keys of your devices are never exposed to Tailscale. They always remain securely within their respective nodes.

Tailscale collects only the necessary metadata about your network’s private nodes and connections to ensure the service functions smoothly and preserves your privacy. For additional transparency, you can check the code as it is open source.

How does Tailscale ensure network availability?

To ensure network availability and minimize single points of failure, Tailscale’s coordination servers operate independently. This means that while Tailscale’s coordination server facilitates initial connections, your nodes can communicate directly once they’re set up.

Moreover, Tailscale’s globally distributed DERP relay servers enhance connectivity by assisting devices in establishing connections, even when direct point-to-point communication is challenging. The independent state management of these servers across regions also ensures seamless failover.

Does Tailscale have client applications for major operating systems?

Yes. Tailscale provides client applications for major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

This comprehensive support ensures that all devices within your network can benefit from Tailscale's security and ease-of-use features.

What metadata does Tailscale collect from a business or enterprise?

Tailscale collects only the necessary metadata about your network’s private nodes and connections to ensure the service functions smoothly and preserves your privacy.

For additional transparency, you can check the code as it is open source.