Large enterprises typically operate their own VPN services. SMBs, however, don’t have the IT resources to set up and maintain a secure private VPN.
Fortunately, some consumer VPN companies have entered the enterprise world to serve this underserved market. Typical consumer VPNs may work in some cases, but businesses often need secure access to servers where they can store files, applications and other office resources that employees can access remotely.
VPN is the best way to transfer data securely. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, which encrypts and protects all Internet traffic between your laptop or smartphone and the VPN server. This makes it difficult for curious hackers to gain access to confidential data. Considering that Microsoft found that the average cost of a data breach to an organization is $3.8 million and that one in five small businesses was affected by a hack, virus or data breach in 2019, security is a big deal.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN doesn’t have a dedicated business plan, but it’s the best consumer VPN on the market, making it perfect for telecommuters and individual business users. Performance is good and their server coverage is pretty good, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a good server.
One of the first things you will notice about ExpressVPN is that the app is compatible with many platforms. In addition to the usual platforms, the provider also has clients for Linux, Kindle Fire, Chromebook, Nook, and more. All of these are easy to set up as well. There are also browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome.
With ExpressVPN, you also get top-notch security and encryption. All the standard encryption and security features are included, with some extras like split channels or ExpressVPN using its own DNS servers to protect your internet traffic. Privacy protection is also an advantage, with a clear no-logging policy.
IPVanishVPN
IPVanish is another great option for individuals or small businesses, as it is primarily targeted at the consumer level. However, with the new unlimited connectivity plans, it is possible to cover all of your company’s devices with one plan – but note that an account can only be shared within a single household.
The apps are powerful and configurable to run on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and other operating systems, and the wide range of servers means you’ll get a fast, great connection no matter where you are in the world.
You can also contact IPVanish’s 24/7 customer support to resolve issues with the service, which is a great time-saver. However, larger companies that need more business-specific features will have to sacrifice features like static IP addresses and centralized billing for multiple accounts.
If you’re looking for a stable and secure VPN, IPVanish is a good choice – but if you need the features that a more specialized business VPN offers, you might want to spend a bit more to get what you need.
TorGuardVPN
TorGuard’s powerful VPN service gives your business unlimited speed and bandwidth on over 3,000 servers in 50 countries. You can customize the package to fit the size of your business, starting with 8 connections and one encrypted email account. Individual accounts include a dedicated server, up to 30 dedicated IP addresses, and 24/7 VPN administrator access.
With an easy-to-use app for all devices, your data is protected in an instant with 256-bit encryption. You can also use the incognito feature to share regional content in online business apps like Skype for unrestricted global access.
TorGuard offers a 7-day free trial and a 7-day money-back guarantee, so you can see for yourself why customers rate it so highly.
PureVPN
If affordability is your main goal, you should try PureVPN, as annual plans start at just $5 per month. It is a reliable Hong Kong-based service that offers a wide range of plans, including personalized subscriptions. As a result, you get a good deal with a dedicated admin portal and account manager.
PureVPN offers many benefits, including incognito browsing, two-factor authentication, DDoS protection, online banking security, secure FTP access, and more.
PureVPN offers a variety of protocols, including OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, PPTP, and IKEv2, and my problem with these protocols has always been that while they consider AES-256 encryption, SHA-1 (HMAC) authentication, and RSA-256 handshaking reliable, they don’t use perfect forward secrecy.
As for session logs, PureVPN keeps session logs – not activity logs – for troubleshooting purposes and tracks user clicks on certain software buttons to monitor feature popularity.
If that doesn’t bother you, the three-day free trial will give you a better feel for the interface, speed, and performance, all of which were pretty good in our tests. PureVPN also offers a seven-day money-back guarantee.
NordVPN
NordVPN has many features, including the standard OpenVPN protocol and AES 256-bit encryption to prevent data leaks. It also has a built-in server obfuscation feature to bypass VPN locks. There are 4 pricing plans to choose from, each giving you access to a complete service package. The best value is the 3-year plan for $2.99 per month. NordVPN’s biggest drawback is the lack of phone support.
Summary
Protecting sensitive data is a top priority. For this reason, you should consider a business VPN client that offers the highest level of security and the least risk. Since you will likely be managing multiple accounts at once, setting up a dedicated account manager is also an ideal feature to consider.
AWSM TIPS
The Internet (or Internet) is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. Check out Easy way to save money on hotel with VPN.
