Have You Considered Virtual Private Networks for Your Business?

One of the most controversial parts of having remote workers is how they access your organization’s network while out of the office. You don’t want them to risk compromising your business’s data, but you also need them to have access to mission-critical applications and information while on the go. Therefore, you need a solution that helps your employees access this information securely without incident, like a virtual private network (VPN).

What is a VPN?
Your network is an infrastructure where your business’s data and applications can be accessed in an instant. It’s designed to offer access to aspects of the workplace that are necessary for operations to continue. A virtual private network allows users to remotely access the network across an Internet connection. As defined by Gartner’s IT Glossary:

A virtual private network (VPN) is a system that delivers enterprise-focused communication services on a shared public network infrastructure and provides customized operating characteristics uniformly and universally across an enterprise…. Technology providers define a VPN as the use of encryption software or hardware to bring privacy to communications over a public or untrusted data network.

As you might expect, this type of communications solution is designed to help users access information in a secure manner from potentially unsafe connections, like hotel WiFi or Internet connections found in public places like cafes, restaurants, airports, and more.

What are the Benefits?
As with most technology solutions, a VPN offers significant benefits that improve operations and increase your data security. Here are some of most important benefits that a VPN can offer for small and medium-sized businesses:

• Restrict access to information on a per-user basis: Not everyone in your network needs to have access to the same information. For instance, your accounting department is the only one who needs access to the pay rates and financial information for your organization, and human resources should be the only one with access to personally identifiable information of your employees. A VPN allows you to set up barriers for how you want your information to be accessed by employees.
• Allow secure network access for remote workers: As previously mentioned, public WiFi and hotel hotspots aren’t the best ways to connect to private or sensitive information. Viruses and malware are often commonplace on these connections, as they are easy ways to infiltrate unsuspecting users.
• Multi-device compatibility: VPNs can be accessed by users of all types of devices, from laptops to smartphones. This allows users to access information on your private network from multiple avenues, allowing them to access this information in a way which allows them the most productivity.

A VPN can go a long way toward improving the way you tend to your day-to-day responsibilities. In fact, it even has the potential to change the way you work entirely. Give Macro Systems a call at (703) 359-9211 for more information about how you can take advantage of VPN technology.