What You Need to Know About Using a Business VPN

Author: Kelley Donald - MarCom/Monday, August 31, 2020/Categories: Business Internet

Even as states lift COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on working inside office buildings, more businesses continue to embrace telecommuting  and work-from-home policies for employees. With months to prepare, businesses are now seeking more productive and secure ways to connect remote workers with their business networks, as well as necessary apps and cloud-based solutions.

If you’ve been considering a virtual private network (VPN) to help employees log in securely to your business network from home, you may want to learn how VPNs work to keep your mission-critical company data safe and how they might help your employees improve productivity.

What Is a VPN?

A VPN permits authorized employees to access the business network through their home business ISP. Rather than using your business wifi service to connect as they would in the office, they log in through their own home internet plans.

A high-quality business VPN provides an encrypted connection. It can also ensure full access to only the files and apps employees need to do their jobs. Restricting access further keeps your business safe from network security threats and gives you more control over your data, your company servers, and your business broadband network.

VPN Benefits for Business Owners

Business owners concerned about security, productivity, and even control over their employees may prefer a VPN to cloud-based software alternatives. With a VPN, you host all your business software and apps on your server, connected to your business broadband service. Only by giving employees remote access to your network can they access the apps they need.

Enhanced network security – VPNs allow your IT department or executives to set specific permission levels for employees.

Remote workers can only access the functionality they need to do their job. You may even be able to set permissions restricting an employee’s access to files to “view only,” “edit,” or “manage.”

Convenience – There’s no need to shift to cloud-based apps if your key productivity software currently resides on your business server. A business VPN allows employees to access apps and files on your servers remotely.

Control – Employers had misgivings about losing control of their remote workforce in the early days of the pandemic. While people have largely fallen into a work-from-home groove and proven they can be productive, a VPN can alleviate any lingering fears.

While employers cannot easily log into an employee’s home business broadband connection, they can track their activity on the business VPN. If an employee doesn’t log off the VPN, the employer can monitor their online shopping activities, social media use, and more. For that matter, an employee who bounces on and off the VPN could be having connectivity issues — or leaving the VPN to take unscheduled breaks.

Things to Remember When Using a Business VPN

A VPN takes data sent across your employee’s home wifi network and encrypts it for added security. A VPN helps ensure the security of your business broadband network when employees access it remotely. But you should encourage at-home workers to take network security into their own hands, too.

Those using home business internet plans can further ensure the safety of company data on the business network by securing their home router with dual passwords and by choosing WPA2 and AES encryption. Encourage employees to set strong passwords they will easily remember or use a password manager to keep logins safe.

Additionally, because data goes through multiple levels of encryption across a VPN, employees may experience lag or ping, especially when using bandwidth-heavy applications like video conferencing.

To speed up their connection and improve productivity, employees may want to assess the devices in their home using unnecessary bandwidth and disconnect those devices from their home business network during the workday.

Let Consolidated Communications Help with Remote Work Options for Your Business

Consolidated Communications offers many solutions for businesses managing a remote workforce. Our Enterprise@Home package delivers reliable and secure internet, phone, and unified communications tools for your employees wherever they live and work. From business phone deals to the best business wifi service, you can count on Consolidated Communications to keep your business running through the pandemic and beyond.

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