The vital role of VPNs in cybersecurity For Businesses

Cybersecurity is a critical factor for any business, large or small. If a business does not take the required precautions against cyber threats and an incident such as a data breach occurs, the business could suffer major consequences, including a loss of revenue and integrity. 

The damage a breach of cybersecurity can do to a business’s reputation is immense. Thankfully, there is an easily accessible tool out there that can do a lot to prevent such an event from occurring. Let’s break down why you should consider installing a free VPN with unlimited data for your business and why VPNs are a vital part of cybersecurity. 

Securing your business

A Virtual Private Network is a tool for online security that enables users to connect to the internet as if they were on a private network via an encrypted tunnel. It is a tool worth considering for new online companies​​ trying to strengthen their security. 

VPNs are one method for protecting corporate data and controlling user access to that data. VPNs safeguard data while users interact with apps and web properties via the Internet, and they can conceal specific resources. They are typically used for access control, although alternative identity and access management (IAM) systems can also assist with user access management. 

Protecting your data

Encryption is a method of safeguarding information so that only authorized parties may decipher it. It modifies readable data so that it appears arbitrary to hackers or anybody else observing it.

A VPN operates by maintaining encrypted connections between devices. VPNs frequently employ IPsec or SSL/TLS encryption technologies to accomplish this. Any devices that connect to the VPN create encryption keys, which are used to encode and decode all data exchanged between them. This method may add a tiny amount of delay to network connections, slowing network traffic.

Thanks to this encryption, VPN connections stay private even when they traverse public Internet infrastructure. This stand even if an employee is working from home and connects to their firm’s VPN to view a company database hosted on a server 100 miles distant. 

Best practices to secure a VPN 

Consider whether the VPN you select allows you to connect to servers in other countries – this ensures that you can connect to a variety of servers in various locations across the world. This means the VPN will have strong encryption and your sensitive information will be secure. Urban VPN, for example, allows you to connect to over 80 different server locations. 

Be aware of VPN endpoint security, authentication, and authorization. VPNs are primarily used to enable connectivity, and the original design did not include endpoint security or user authentication. The connection will be formed as long as the end-to-end tunnel communication is configured successfully. While this may be adequate for individual users, most businesses should require that devices fulfill the same level of standards as those found in on-site environments. Any business should also demand user identification on certain devices.

For this degree of access, endpoint protection technologies and endpoint detection and response systems are used. These systems protect user devices from malware and viruses, and they can even verify that computers that connect to the business meet minimal software update standards. This is especially crucial for users who work for extended periods of time from home or other insecure areas.

Moreover, although VPN services are available on both Windows and Linux systems, but are not recommended in most corporate contexts. The average systems administrator is unprepared to deal with the barrage of security risks that come with directly exposing servers to the outside world. Teams that utilize this configuration should take care to limit access to the VPN function and server management.

Security challenges 

When implementing best practices for VPN security, it is critical to understand the underlying challenges. 

Split tunneling – Split tunneling refers to a distant router or endpoint’s capacity to connect to more than one data network. Split tunneling in practice often entails direct internet access for some providers and connecting via a VPN tunnel for other corporate traffic. While direct SaaS access enhances efficiency, it can also be a conduit for assaults and data exfiltration. Split tunneling is also prohibited in some highly regulated workplaces, such as those subject to Department of Defense guidelines in the United States.

Timeouts – Businesses must also ensure that idle sessions expire, however, this must be balanced with UX. Typical security recommendations range from 10 to 30 minutes to begin VPN timeouts. When businesses have control over endpoints, it is also critical to demand a screen lock after a certain amount of inactivity, such as 10 minutes. A connection or authentication timeout can also be included in a timeout. Enterprises should lengthen these timeouts using MFA to provide the user enough time to supply the required information.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.