Virtual private networks (VPNs) are indispensable to businesses. They link remote office branches to the main corporate network, they allow roaming employees to use internal company applications and enable cloud servers to be part of the same network as on-premises ones.
Uncomfortable facts: Data breaches are happening more often, cybercriminals are getting more crafty, and the amount of compromised data is increasing rapidly. Another uncomfortable fact is that most companies are completely unprepared for breaches — even though they are becoming more commonplace by the day. It’s crucial for businesses to be proactive about cybersecurity, and put protective measures in place before disaster can strike.
Most VPN solutions that exist today were designed a long time ago, so they’re quite slow and are overly engineered. Enter WireGuard, a project that puts security and simplicity first. WireGuard is a fast VPN, simple and highly secure. With WireGuard there is no noticeable change in speed when using it. It’s a no compromise solution with both speed and security.
The Many Uses Of A VPN
There are a few modes of usage with Wireguard. It can be used to access a local network from devices to access a single service on a server over secure remote connection. It can be setup on a remote cloud server for secure browsing. we can also setup site 2 site and mesh networking. This can be great if you have multiple locations needing to access each other. This can make 2 physical locations networks one.
1. Remote Access
Your office has a network. On this network, you can access printers, connect to IT resources, transfer data, and more. It’s secure and protects your team from questionable websites. But what if you start hiring remote employees? Everyone working on site can easily access the office network — but remote workers aren’t there to log in — so you need a remote access VPN. Using a VPN means your remote employees can log on to your office network from anywhere that has access to the internet. Then they will have access to the resources they need to do their jobs, and your business data is still secure.
2. Access Control
Access control, simply put, is controlling who gets access to what. Without proper access control, the right people might not have enough access to get the job done…or the wrong people might have too much access. Access control systems (like a VPN) authenticate and authorize users by evaluating required credentials — verifying that the person or application is who or what it claims to be, and authorizing the appropriate access levels and permissions associated with the username or IP address. Our VPN, Access Server, can be configured to provide exactly this control.
3. Cybersecurity
A VPN is a great solution to secure your business data. By applying a VPN across your networks, you can make those networks much more robust and secure. And any Internet-connected device can use a VPN to be a part of a private network. Devices can range from standard consumer devices like cameras, to specialized industrial sensors or other operational tools. By utilizing a VPN as your cybersecurity solution, you can create your own private network to conduct and establish secure communications — and you can prevent attacks that seek to alter or steal sensitive business data.
4. Site To Site Connections
A site-to-site virtual private network (VPN) is a connection between two or more networks, such as a corporate network and a branch office network. Many organizations use site-to-site VPNs to leverage an internet connection for private traffic as an alternative to using private MPLS circuits. Site-to-site VPNs are frequently used by companies with multiple offices in different geographic locations that need to access and use the corporate network on an ongoing basis.
5. Mesh Networks
Mesh VPNs use a peer-to-peer architecture where every node or peer in the network can connect directly to any other peer without going through a central concentrator or gateway. This approach can be less expensive and easier to scale than a traditional VPN.
Mesh VPNs are not a new concept, but it has taken a long time for them to mature and expand beyond a niche use. Until a few years ago the VPN needs of most organizations were perfectly met through a traditional hub-and-spoke architecture. Most corporate firewalls and gateway security products include VPN functionality and that was convenient for most companies who only had a few employees working remotely.
The move to hybrid cloud-based infrastructure and the growing remote workforce has finally put mesh networking solutions on the map. This started with the need to connect VMs and nodes running in different clouds, a technology commonly referred to as a “service mesh,” and now is expanding to connect traditional endpoints such as laptops and mobile phones.
What You Need
For a cloud VPN it can easily be setup on a low-cost VPS, they can start at $5/mo sometimes as low as $30/yr. For site 2 site and accessing your local LAN an old workstation can be converted into a server or refurbished ones bought for under $200.
