Summary: Modern businesses must ensure secure remote access to their company network. Learn to protect access to your resources and support distributed teams across all locations.
Today, a corporate network is a dispersed constellation of coffee shops, home offices, and airport lounges. Because of this change, secure remote access is now the foundation of the modern workplace.
However, this flexibility comes with a catch. Many organizations still rely on consumer VPNs that were never designed for business environments. In this guide, we break down the basics of business VPNs. We also explore how to maintain a seamless, secure connection to company resources from anywhere and why choosing a strong, enterprise-grade VPN solution is no longer just an IT decision—it is a fundamental business strategy.
Remote access lets a user connect to a device, network, or software from anywhere. This way, they can securely access files or apps, or even manage the system. Employees who work from homes, distributed teams, and IT admins who manage systems off-site rely on remote access on a daily basis.
Whether remote users rely on Remote Access VPN to create encrypted tunnels or a remote desktop for hands-on access control, the goal is the same: providing secure remote access that prevents unauthorized entry.
A virtual private network (VPN) is the foundation of secure access. It provides encrypted tunnels, allowing remote users to send data safely across public connections.
To access your company network remotely, you can use two methods:
What’s important, VNC and RDP are not secure on their own and should always be combined with a VPN and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for security. Also, combining these remote access tools with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) principles ensures that every user and device is verified. And this prevents unauthorized access to your sensitive assets.
Understanding what a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is is the first step in learning how to access and share data across a company network from different locations.
A VPN creates a secure tunnel between your device and a VPN server, using advanced encryption algorithms to safeguard data in transit. This tunnel acts as a secure conduit through which data such as usernames, passwords, and sensitive files are sent and received.
This encrypted tunnel ensures that even if someone could intercept your data, they would not be able to decode it.
The secondary but equally important aspect of VPNs is masking your IP address. Every time you connect to the internet, your device is assigned an IP address, a unique identifier that can reveal your location.
A VPN replaces your IP address with one from its server, shielding your true location. This dual functionality of encryption and new IP address masking makes VPN both straightforward and strong. And it helps companies protect their privacy, data, and assets.
VPNs encrypt data in transit, creating a digital barrier that helps protect sensitive information from cyber threats like ransomware attacks, phishing scams, and data breaches. Given the rise in cybercrime, their role in preventing business disruption and financial loss is key.
VPNs standardize how organizations connect across many locations, even internationally.
Businesses can use VPNs to securely share data and connect various locations to different network nodes, such as branch offices, cloud-based services, or mobile employees.
This standardization ensures uniform security across the entire organization, reducing vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could exploit.
Before, secure remote work was difficult due to complex security protocols and the limitations of traditional wide area networks (WANs). VPNs have dramatically simplified this process by offering secure, seamless remote access to a company's internal network from anywhere in the world.
With a VPN, remote employees can securely access many company resources, like files, applications, on-site servers, and internal communications tools.
For most businesses operating under a remote or hybrid work model, enabling secure remote work makes a VPN indispensable. It allows employees to work as efficiently from home—or any global location—as they would in the office. To further enhance security and ensure continuous, uninterrupted access to network resources, implementing an Always On VPN can help.
The appeal of free VPN services often hinges on the absence of initial costs. Yet, these services frequently limit the internet speed available to users. These speed caps can significantly hamper productivity and efficiency for many businesses that need fast and uninterrupted access to data and communication tools.
Moreover, free VPN services usually offer a restricted range of server locations. This limitation can be problematic for businesses that need to connect to servers in specific geographic locations for compliance or operational reasons. The lack of server choices may also lead to network congestion, further slowing your connection.
One of the most critical drawbacks of free VPN services is their inadequate security features. Many free VPNs lack state-of-the-art encryption protocols, leaving your data vulnerable to interception and unauthorized access. This compromised security is a severe issue, especially for businesses handling sensitive or confidential information.
Some free VPN services may log your browsing activities, a practice that contradicts the purpose of using a VPN for enhanced privacy.
These logs can be susceptible to data breaches or be sold to third parties for marketing purposes, putting your data and privacy at risk.
Regarding business applications, relying on a free VPN can be a grave mistake.
The risks include slower internet speeds or fewer server choices. More seriously, they can extend to more consequential matters like compromised data integrity and potential breaches of customer information.
Businesses face greater risks in a cyber-incident, such as financial losses and damage to their reputation and customer trust. Given their many limitations, free VPN services aren't appropriate for corporate use, where data security and privacy stakes are significantly higher.
If you are serious about business data security, an enterprise-grade VPN is the way to go.
These VPNs provide tailor-made solutions for businesses, unlocking capabilities such as IP allowlisting for secure resource access and offering more consistent encryption protocols. This enables businesses to securely access company networks from various locations.
This technology setup helps protect cloud computing services, on-site servers, remote offices, local area networks, and even individual computers at various business locations.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that remote work is not just a trend—it's here to stay. A corporate VPN is essential for companies that have embraced this shift.
With the right setup, employees can securely access company networks from home and seamlessly collaborate with colleagues globally.
The goal is to create a unified, secure access layer that enables centralized file sharing, consistent access to company resources, and a single, protected network environment.
Businesses nowadays are not just confined to physical office spaces or two offices—they also operate in the cloud. So, how do you access the company network from different office locations, and can you bridge these two worlds? And what about static IP addresses?
Remote access VPNs can support cloud network security, sometimes using static IP addresses to establish connections to on-site servers and other cloud resources. These addresses aren't just for enhanced security; they're often used to simplify access control for remote connections to a physical network or device. By following these best practices, users can significantly minimize risks associated with remote access, allowing employees to work securely, no matter where they are.
While convenient, public Wi-Fi networks are a breeding ground for various cybersecurity threats. There are numerous vulnerabilities, from Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks to cybercriminals eavesdropping on your data to unauthorized access.
These are not just fears—they're real threats. They can translate into concrete security breaches involving sensitive personal or business data. This has been particularly underscored by the increasing cyber-attack incidents targeting users on public Wi-Fi networks.
Beyond the essential security features, corporate VPNs offer additional layers of protection, including features like:
What does all of this mean for businesses? More options for keeping your internet connection safe, secure, and tailored to your needs.
Remote work demands secure network access. Just as NordLayer’s Business VPN sets the bar high for remote teams, your choice of a VPN should meet similar standards. It's not just about more secure connections in remote offices; it's also about comprehensive data protection, user management, and ease of use, all while enabling all ways of working.
Don't settle for basic security features. Move to a Business VPN that ensures a secure, virtual private network and an efficient remote office work environment tailored to your needs.
Contact us today, and let us help you create a security solution that fits your business needs.
Joanna Krysińska
Senior Copywriter
Joanna's family has a history in math and engineering, and she has dedicated her life to simplifying complicated technical ideas. She helps people understand how hackers think and how to stay ahead of them by concentrating on the human side of cybersecurity.
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