Networks and Wi-Fi
What a VPN does, and when you need one
VPN is one of those terms everyone has heard and few people can explain. For a business, it usually means safe access to the office from elsewhere.
1 min readExplainer
The short version
A business VPN connects remote staff securely to systems in the office. With more in the cloud, many businesses need it less than they used to.
What it is
A virtual private network (VPN) creates an encrypted connection between a device and another network. For a business, that usually means a laptop at home or in a hotel connecting to the office network as if it were plugged in there, to reach a file server, a printer or an application that only runs in the office.
Consumer VPN apps advertised online are something different: they route your personal browsing through another company’s servers. They are not a substitute for business remote access.
Do you still need one?
If your email, files and applications are all in Microsoft 365 and other cloud services, staff may not need a VPN at all. They sign in to each service directly, protected by multi-factor authentication.
If some systems still live in the office, such as an accounting server or a line-of-business application, staff need a safe way to reach them.
Doing remote access safely
- Multi-factor authentication on every remote connection, without exception.
- Keep the remote access device updated. VPN appliances are among the most attacked systems on the internet.
- Give access only to what each person needs, rather than the whole network.
- Turn off accounts as soon as someone leaves.
Talk to us about your technology
Tell us what you run today and what is getting in the way. We will get back to you about how we can help.