Choosing The Best VPN Service
You’ve heard that a VPN is essential for your business — and it’s true.
But how to find the right one? How to find the best VPN?
That’s what this guide is for. Here, we’ll expand on what a VPN is and whether it matters for your business. Then you can jump to the section that is most important to you. Yes, this is a lot of information — but that should mean you'll be able to find what you need. And if not, please let us know. You can send an email through our support ticket system, or even drop us a note on Twitter.
The point of this post is to help you determine if a VPN would benefit your business, and if so, which is the best VPN for you.
The bottom line: we’re hoping to help you get connected. Let’s dive into the beginning, explaining what it takes to create a Virtual Private Network (VPN). And as any good VPN buyer’s guide should do, let’s talk about what your choices are and what you can look for in the best VPN services.
What is a VPN?
While it’s been around for over a decade now, VPN technology is anything but stagnant. In fact, there are a few different brands doing slightly different things with business VPNs. As you decide which VPN is best for you, the important thing to remember is that your privacy and security are paramount, so whatever you choose for your business should reflect that. You need a product that stays current with the latest security technology, and one that provides ease of use — otherwise, it will be tough to use this tool to its fullest extent, and all too tempting to let updates lapse.
If it’s not easy enough to use, you won’t use it, and your employees won’t either. Security products don’t do much when they’re ignored, or when people decide they’d prefer simpler workarounds.
Now, at its core, a VPN is just what the title suggests: a virtual private network. The software creates a secure tunnel for data communication over the public internet. This security and privacy gives your business an encrypted connection to your network, where your team can safely access resources and communication without exposing data to the public internet. It provides your business with an important piece of layered security.
If you need to set up remote access for workers connecting from home or travel, or you’d like to connect two different offices, then using a VPN gives you the ability to remotely access important network resources without putting your data at risk of exposure.
How Does a VPN Work?
With a typical business, the network exists on-premise. Computers connect to servers there on the site, and a firewall protects the public internet traffic traveling in and out. The business data, on the other hand, stays on-premise.
The problem? Today’s businesses don’t exist on-premise. They host essential data and services in the cloud. They have multiple offices, even global locations. Their employees connect from the road, coworking offices, home, and more.
A VPN solves this problem by providing a secure extension of the traditional on-premise network.
A consumer VPN encrypts data communications within a private tunnel over the public internet. The encrypted data packets require the correct keys and certificates to access the data within them, keys and certificates which make up the handshake between the VPN server and VPN clients.An enterprise VPN provides secure data communication to offices and employee devices, no matter where they connect. Businesses commonly provide VPN services for remote access or creating site-to-site networks, as we’ll describe below.
Free VPNs vs. Free 'Versions'
Now, it’s true an enterprise VPN and a consumer VPN are very different. But it’s important to be aware that your team will likely use a consumer-based VPN provider in their free time. They might use it while working remotely, or outside of work, watching streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, or hiding their IP address from their ISP. Some even use it for torrenting, but that's comes with a whole other set of risks. Regardless, if they’re using it on a device they also use to connect to your company network, this affects you. They need to be aware of some important factors.
Most importantly: the issue of free VPNs. Many consumer VPNs out there will advertise completely free pricing, and those are often the most tempting options. Why pay $5, $10, $15 for a month plan, or cough up even more for a year plan, just to get the same private internet access (PIA) that a free VPN claims to offer? Bear in mind, this isn't the same as offering something like a 30- or 45-day money-back guarantee -- this is claiming that the product itself is totally free.
Well, the idiom holds true here: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And there’s certainly no such thing as a free VPN. These companies have to make money somehow. If you’re not paying for your product, that usually means you are the product. These VPNs will promise they're secure, that they're the best free VPN -- but then they'll log your data, analyze it, and sell it to advertisers, even if their site has a no-logging policy. Or worse, the VPN itself could even be a nefarious source of malware, luring users in with the promise of privacy. That being said, there is one version of a free vpn you don’t always have to worry about. Again, it goes back to: can you see how they’re earning revenue? Many services nowadays offer freemium models, which means your initial welcome includes a free version of the tool. This often comes with limited features or limited use, and once you want to expand your usage, you pay the premium price. In this strategy, you can clearly see where the company is earning revenue, and what’s more — you know they have a vested interest in treating potential customers with integrity and sticking to a no-logs policy. It’s still wise to do your due diligence, research the company, and compare reviews, but a freemium model doesn’t bring up the red flags a fully ‘free’ VPN offer does.
Remember: An Enterprise VPN is Not the Same as a Consumer VPN
Choosing the top VPN for your business starts with choosing a business VPN. All too often, when people refer to VPNs, they’re referring to consumer VPNs. These individual VPNs just don't provide the same kind of security that business VPNs do. The apps connect to VPN servers and typically hide the user’s IP address. Sometimes they also encrypt the data as an extra measure -- but that can only do so much.
The most common consumer VPN services you'll hear about are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Private Internet Access, Surfshark, CyberGhost, TunnelBear, VyprVPN, and ProtonVPN. The user choosing between these providers is looking for the fastest VPN that can give them access to shows on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, shows that aren’t available in their area yet. Or they might just want to hide their internet browsing from their Internet Service Provider (ISP).
But choosing the best VPN for your business isn't about connecting to streaming services. It's about great bandwidth, great pricing, and compatibility with the right router, among other things.It's also important to be able to test it out before ever making a purchase -- you won't need a 30-day money-back guarantee if you can test it for free!
So What Makes An Enterprise VPN?
An enterprise VPN consists of a VPN server and VPN clients. The VPN server can be hosted on-premise, with a cloud service provider, or using a VPN-as-a-service solution. For the best VPN service for your business, it’s important to maintain full control over your VPN server. That way, you’ll be able to manage users, authentication, routing, IP addresses, logging, and access to resources. Without the ability to monitor and manage that you’ll be getting much less out of your business VPN than you could, and security will be limited. Remember, security is not one-size-fits all, set it and forget it — you’ll need to tailor it to your business’s needs. If the VPN can’t do that, it’s not doing much.
The VPN client is the app installed on a user’s computer or mobile device, on a branch office router, or on an instance in a virtual private cloud. Why so many different ways to use the VPN client? Again: security should be tailored to your specific needs.
Enterprise VPN Setup Examples
If you’re providing remote access to employees or vendors connecting from outside the office, they’ll install VPN clients on their devices. Connecting with the client then connects them to your VPN server and your network.
If you’re creating site-to-site networking, in that case you’ll connect routers with VPN clients to your VPN server at your headquarters. The VPN clients create a virtual private network with the server, connecting all branches and offices together.
If you’re connecting cloud services to your users, then you can launch a VPN server within your virtual private cloud. This way, you can encrypt the data communication between your users and cloud services such as Amazon Web Services or DigitalOcean.
You can even use a VPN server to protect Remote Desktop Connections. This is a frequently used Microsoft tool for providing access to a user away from the office. Unfortunately, it is also a frequent target of cyber attacks. Putting it behind the protection of VPN adds an important security layer that was missing before.
What it boils down to is that a VPN protects data communication. You know the value of your business data, and you want to protect it.
The next step is getting your team on board.
...Android or iOS?
Your team is probably not using uniform devices -- some may prefer android, while others use iOs, and still others might prefer Linux or another OS. Whether they're using Windows or Apple, whether they do more work on their phone or desktop, the best VPN service will be compatible with every OS your team can throw at it.The best VPN service will also offer easy-to-use and effective mobile apps, to keep your network secure across any device.
Your Employees May Already Be Familiar with VPNs
Not all employees will be in the dark about VPN usage. In fact, SurfShark found that more than 31% of those online already use VPN services, which means your employees may be using VPNs already. And if they’re not, they’re likely familiar with them. ExpressVPN is incredibly common, as is NordVPN and other tools like Cyberghost and IPVanish. Some might be using a free vpn, although as mentioned, some may not trust a service without pricing they can monitor.
Despite being a relatively new industry (90% of VPN companies were founded after 2005, according to ACM Internet Measurement Conference 2018) VPNs are booming — and only getting more and more common. Statista estimates the industry will hit $31.1 billion in 2021. If your team hasn’t used a VPN yet, they probably will in the next few years. And how are users incorporating VPNs into their lives? 50% of VPN users use it for privacy on public Wi-Fi, according to Statista, while 56% of VPN users use it to access Netflix or other streaming services each month, according to the Global Web Index. This, again, is the consumer VPN use — a business VPN is never about gaining illegal access to content or surfing places like Tor. In fact, quite the opposite; it’s about protecting your network from those risks.
It’s More Than Bypassing Censorship
The exponential growth of VPN use is also due to the increase in remote work and hybrid networks, which have skyrocketed in the last few years.
Your search for the best VPN service for your business will focus on providing secure access and connecting networks for just those situations. But the intense growth isn’t all good: cybersecurity costs went up 25% for businesses in 2020, according to Accenture Security, and 93% of cybersecurity pros are concerned about cloud security, according to Cybersecurity Insiders. Change and growth is hard, but if you can find the best business VPN for you and your company, you should experience less stress, not more.
While your team may have previously used ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Private Internet Access, and other consumer VPNs, both you and your users can appreciate the added security and privacy of an enterprise VPN. That’s what will take your team security to the next level.
You protect your business data. And you protect your employees online.
Why Does It Matter To Your Business?
Does your business really need to provide VPN services? If your company is online in any capacity, the answer is probably yes. That being said, if you still find yourself on the fence, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you have remote employees?
- Do you have business data on-premise?
- Do you have data in cloud networks?
- Do you have multiple office locations?
- Do you connect IoT devices to a network?
- Do you provide Remote Desktop access?
- Do you have global connections?
- Do you have point-of-sale devices?
- Do you use SaaS tools?
- Do you access software online?
If you answered yes to any single one of these, you need the security features of a business VPN. The cybersecurity landscape isn’t stagnant, and any point exposed to the internet exposes every bit of your company data.
Things to Consider When Searching For the Best VPN Service For You
As you search for the best VPN service for you, there are a few things you'll want to make sure you keep in mind.
- Remember, there is a major difference between a business VPN and a consumer VPN. They focus on different features because they serve different audiences. Someone shopping for a consumer VPN would care more about masking their IP address or accessing streaming services. In contrast, a business VPN focuses on protecting company data in transit and protecting against unauthorized access to apps and data. Don't be fooled by ads for the fastest VPN, or the free VPN app for your iPhone -- remember you're looking for a network for your business.
- Consider which devices will be on your network. Will they be android? Apple? Mobile or laptops? Will employees be providing their own device (BYOD)? You can lower the security risk by providing devices for your team -- but BYOD tends to increase productivity. Taking some extra security steps to support BYOD can be worth the trade-off.
- Weak encryption with a VPN solution leads to leaks and risk of attack. Understanding the best options in VPN protocols can help you pick the strongest encryption available. Will your solutions offer PPTP, IKEv2/IPSec? Will it come with AES-256 encryption?
- A good VPN solution should support multi-factor authentication. This might mean integrating with authentication services such as Active Directory, Okta, and JumpCloud, or a third-party authentication tool like Google Authenticator. The best choice is the one you have in place for your business and a good VPN solution for you supports what you’re using. Integrated and centralized authorization is important.
- It’s a myth that VPN access is all or nothing. Some vendors will tell you that it’s dangerous to implement because you have to grant access to the full network, but any good VPN solution should provide a way to define access control and assign it to groups or users.
- Another thing to consider is bandwidth. A lot of companies learned that VPN use changed immensely with the increase in remote work at the beginning of the pandemic. Some businesses had never used it before and needed to set it up for employees to be able to work from home. Other companies had only used it for emergency use, off hours, or with a few select employees such as IT system administrators and support. Suddenly, they needed to add users and the bandwidth couldn’t handle it. That’s where it’s important to find a solution that you can scale.
- Like it or not, remote work here to stay -- and it may require quickly scaling up or down. If a winter storm hit your HQ, you should be able to ramp up VPN connections to allow everyone to safely work from home. Just remind the team to update equipment, like that old router -- otherwise it could pose a security risk.
- Consider the number of servers as well as the server locations of your VPN service -- this may affect your privacy in the long run. Servers in China are under different regulations than ones in Canada or Switzerland.
As you consider VPNs to choose, there are some elements that should be non-negotiable.
VPN must-have list:
☑ MFA support
☑ Access control lists restricted by services, ports, or IP addresses
☑ Cross-platform support
☑ Scalability
☑ Strong encryption
☑ Reliable customer support
☑ Clear, upfront pricing
☑ Extensive configurability
How To Measure The Success of Your VPN
By understanding the risks to consider with a good VPN solution to make the right choice for your business, you can configure the setup necessary for your network and employees. So what do you look for, when it’s up and running, to measure its success? Can a VPN really give your business a competitive edge?
1. Privacy & Security
With VPN, your data is private as it travels over the public internet. That online privacy protects your business and employees. With a good solution, you don’t have to worry about leaks, man-in-the-middle attacks, or DNS injections, among other cybersecurity risks. This is the bottom line, the basic — the reason anyone and everyone wants a VPN for their business. Your data stays secure. Outside threats can’t find their way into your network, and you’ll be able to mitigate a huge portion of the risk you’d otherwise face with any amount of proprietary activity online.
But there are more ways to measure the success of your VPN. Privacy and security, as it turns out, provide more benefits to your company than simply protecting your network.
2. Connection Speeds
With the use of split tunneling, the right VPN won't slow down your internet connection. Whether you're downloading, streaming, or simply messaging, your internet speed should remain relative to the support of your wi-fi network. Remember, no software comes with truly unlimited bandwidth, so this will also depend on the type of work you and your team are doing. If your wi-fi has fast speeds, a good VPN won't change that. Your download speeds will depend on what you're downloading, and if you're utilizing other browser extensions that could affect the speed of your browser, keep that in mind. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, all come with different strengths and weaknesses, so be sure not to measure your VPN against the work of your browser. Run speed tests if you must, but the best VPN won't drag down your online work.
3. Team Productivity
Studies have long since shown that when employees are given more autonomy over their schedule and work environment, productivity soars. With a good VPN, you can trust your team from anywhere — whether they need to work from home or travel during the week, your data will stay secure with the remote access your VPN provides. Employees thrive under that kind of flexibility, and when employees thrive, so does your business. Say nothing of the time saved; after all, the more secure your network is, the less time your team has to juggle risk management themselves. Malware can really slow a team down, to say the least. Plus, a truly secure VPN also opens up your business to the opportunity to hire from anywhere, expanding your potential candidate pool.
4. Team Connection
All too often, physical distance can serve as a barrier to real team connection; this is one of the most common problems among remote teams. But the more secure your VPN is, the easier it is for your team to connect online. Sharing resources, communicating securely, working on the same projects — even at the same time! — all becomes less risky with a VPN. Bringing your team together, whether they’re working from home for the week or working from another country long-term, is essential for a growing company.
5. Team Morale
If your company data is exposed, the reality is that it puts stress on your employees. Are they going to take the brunt of the reaction if they make a mistake? Human error is one of the most common sources of data breaches. Don’t put your team in that position — limit the possibility of error altogether. Tools that block dangerous sites, require 2FA, and utilize zero trust minimizes the damage any one person can do to a company network. That means your team can feel safe doing their work — without stressing that they’re going to cause their teammates’ or company data to become exposed.
...it's more than just cybersecurity.
Choosing a VPN is no small task. You need a solution to protect your data, yes, but you also need a way to best support your workforce and partners. Your choice should take both goals into consideration. Measuring the success of your VPN is akin to measuring the success of your entire company — it touches on all aspects of growth, profit, and your team. The world we live in now is cyber first, and if you’re reading this, it’s likely your company is a part of that. You need to face that world with the right tools at your side.
Comparing Enterprise VPN Solutions
It helps to have a visual when making purchasing decisions. Different business needs might call for different VPN features. For instance, you might prefer one of the VPN providers that operate in the cloud, so that you don’t have to worry about managing servers. Or perhaps you want to host your own solution, so you’ll have full control over servers on-premise, or in a virtual private cloud such as Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud.
Keep in mind, some features are available with nearly every major VPN providers: error logging, central management, MFA, and third-party authentication — so we didn’t include those in the chart below. Rather, this chart highlights areas of difference between OpenVPN products and VPN solutions from other providers. These include pricing, smart routing, and support.
Pricing is typically by connection, or by user. Take that into consideration for your budget. A connection could be a user, a router, or a virtual private server. Similarly, a user could be an employee connecting on one or more devices, or a device making an always-on connection. The user is always counted, whether or not the user is connected to the network — whereas ‘per connection’ will only charge for the simultaneous connections you make. And remember, if they offer unlimited simultaneous connections, that doesn't mean unlimited users.
Overlapping IP addresses occur when connecting more than one business network. If your business has this scenario, it’s important to know how the routing will handle that. If you have IP overlap, does that break routing, or is there a workaround, such as creating unique domain names for the routes to different networks instead of IP address subnets?
Smart Routing is a feature that ensures the data communication will happen at the closest point. In other words, if you have a service that provides VPN connections through multiple servers, does the product optimize the route based on the location of the client? For example, a setup could include server locations in the United States as well as Europe. When users connect, do they have to manually choose the location where they connect? Or can the service automatically select the closest resource? Multiple servers not only improves speed for a distributed workforce but also provides redundancy, and smart routing makes it easier to have multiple servers.
Another important thing to consider is whether you can test the solution out with all features prior to purchasing. Some providers only allow limited features on their free or cheapest option, and the better features require much deeper pockets. But the best way to know for sure that you get what you need for your network setup is to test it — all of it. You should be able to test it out with a couple of connections. Does it work with your devices? What about your existing network setup? It’s helpful to know for sure before you shell out too much investment.
When it comes to support, that varies between providers. Some charge more for a certain level of support. Others provide it without a cost. If you’re paying more for support, it’s good to know upfront to include that in your cost comparison. If the support is included, it could be helpful to find out how it’s provided — phone, email, chatbot?
For hardware, making the right choice depends on how much control you want. CloudConnexa provides servers worldwide, but with OpenVPN Access Server, you must provide the servers, whether they’re on-premise or in a virtual private cloud. The latter provides more control for you, but the former can be much easier to manage.
Take a look at the five major options on the market today, and see which fits your needs.
How Do the Fastest VPNs Stack Up?
CloudConnexa | OpenVPN Access Server | Perimeter 81 | NordLayer | TwinGate | |
Price | Free for 3 connections. Above that, min 5 users at $70/mo — but this cost decreases the more connections you have. | Free for 2 connections. Above that, min 5 users at $70/mo — but this cost decreases the more connections you have. | $8/mo per user, with 5 user minimum, plus $40/mo per gateway | Basic monthly package with limited features $9/mo per user | Business plan with limited features $10/mo per user |
Per user or per simultaneous connection? | Per simultaneous connection (unlimited devices) | Per simultaneous connection (unlimited devices) | Per user | Per user | Per user |
Allows overlapping IP addresses? | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Smart Routing? | Yes | Available via integration with a cloud DNS service | No | No | No |
Split Tunneling? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
All features available at all tieres? | YES, the free version provides all features — and the more connections you add, the cheaper per user | YES, the free version provides all features —and the more connections you add, the cheaper per user | No | No | No |
Customer Support? | 24/7 online customer support | 24/7 online customer support | Customer support during office hours (more support available at more expensive tiers) | 24/7 online customer support | TwinGate’s customer support is limited at the lowest level |
Hardware Requirements | None | Self-hosted | None | None | None |
Specific Use Cases
Consider the following scenarios -- do any of them sound like they might fit your business needs?
1. Keep IoT Networks Secure
IoT devices are always vulnerable to DNS leaks or various cyberattacks. Remember: each and every connected IoT device collects data in some way. Setting up a VPN to encrypt that network will keep communication between IoT devices secure -- which means you'll get the full benefit of IoT without the risk.
- Does your business use POS systems? These tools send and receive sensitive financial information, which can be a target for hackers. With a VPN, you can encrypt your IoT network and protect that communication.
- It's important to make sure each IoT device is authorized; otherwise, hackers can use them as points of entry into your network. Thankfully, with the right VPN you can ensure that each device is authentic, even without a human user to log in. You simply set up auto-login credentials for the tools or their routers; then you create always-on VPN connections.
- With a different set of standards across each vendor, IoT devices can be tough to secure. Different operating systems make for tough communications, and your IoT needs to be unified to work well. But with the right VPN, you can connect with clients supported for pretty much any OS.
- A VPN protects against cyber attacks. IoT devices are great for growing businesses because they’re scalable and adaptable. But as you add more connected devices, you're adding more risk, too. A VPN protects that growing network -- and limits the access of each device.
2. Securing Remote Access
With the right VPN, you can protect remote workers who connect on unsecured networks in hotels, coffee shops, airports, and more. If your team needs to work from home and connect remotely, or you want to hire someone in a different region — the right VPN allows you to do that securely.
Make sure your remote workforce has secure access to everything they need with a VPN. Whether those resources are in your network on-premise or on the cloud, your team can access securely from anywhere. Just make sure you authorize each device, and limit access accordingly.
- A distributed workforce needs high-speed and reliable connectivity. If your remote team grows suddenly, are you ready to scale? Or will your bandwidth hold you back? Your VPN should allow for split-tunnel routing so users’ internet traffic doesn’t eat up your bandwidth.
- Vendors need access to the certain resources, but they never need to see your entire network. Limit and revoke access as needed to keep things simple and secure. With access control, you can grant access based on groups, separating employees from partners and contractors.
- Create frictionless security for your team. The easier it is to stay secure, the more likely your team is to do just that. You need a solution that provides security, convenience, and confidence. When you integrate your VPN with identity services through LDAP, RADIUS, or SAML, you provide users with convenient and secure access with a single set of credentials -- across all apps.
3. Protecting Access to SaaS Applications
Whether your team needs to access Slack, Jira, or another SaaS tool specific to your company, the right VPN can help you do just that — without risking your company data.
SaaS applications are common -- but they don't always have great security. Creating security with SaaS can be tricky, especially when more than one app is involved. If your SaaS provider doesn’t MFA or other security steps, use a VPN.
- Lock down SaaS access. Make sure that only your team is accessing your resources with a VPN. With VPN clients, you can set up connections in the office and through personal devices, knowing their connections are secured regardless of the network they connect from.
- Prevent unauthorized access with IP whitelisting. If you whitelist the public IP address of your VPN server, then clients that connect to the VPN inherit the whitelisted IP address.
- Watch your bandwidth. You can create a split-tunnel VPN environment with access to the IP address of the SaaS using the VPN tunnel, while all other internet traffic travels outside the tunnel. This method keeps latency low -- and security high.
- Enforce access control, because not all VPN users need access to the same SaaS tools. With user and group access control lists, you can easily create specified access according to roles. Then you can grant SaaS access only to those job roles that require it.
4. Enforcing Zero Trust Access
Cloud networks and a mobile workforce are integral to your business operations. But these bring with them modern security challenges that demand a layered approach for protection. That approach should include zero trust access: never trust, always verify.
- Perimeter security is obsolete. Gone are the days of perimeter security policies -- today’s networks just have too many access points. A VPN does more than a firewall -- so you can do more. If you enforce VPN use on your team, you isolate your network from other connections.
- Unify authentication. If you're using multiple identity systems, this can be tough. Luckily, you can integrate these systems with your VPN server. Keep things simple and keep things secure.
- Manage lateral movement to protect your entire network from exposure. Setting up a VPN that simply grants access to the network doesn’t provide this protection. That’s where access control lists (ACLs) come in. With ACLs, you can map access to allowed resources.
Protect users from malicious sites. Phishing emails can turn into malware with one wrong click. With the right VPN, you can route internet traffic safely. With CloudConnexa, you can even allow access to only authorized internet destinations to protect specific devices and internet traffic in sensitive departments.
5. Setting Up Site-to-Site Networking
If you've got more than one network, you can keep them connected with a site-to-site VPN.
- Connect private networks. With a VPN, you can bring together networks and eliminate single points of failure. Multiple locations, HQ and field work, or a growing remote community -- they can all stay safely connected.
- Connect quickly. It doesn’t take long to set up connections at branches and remote locations to connect to the VPN server.
- Connect affordably. Lower your costs by avoiding hardware -- just use a VPN software instead. With today's technology, enterprise security doesn't have to break your budget.
What To Look For In A VPN
When searching for the right VPN for your business, you need a different set of criteria than what you find on the list of “best consumer VPNs.” While those focus on privacy and hiding an IP address, a business VPN focuses on securing communications.
When partnering with an enterprise VPN provider, you must understand the software, how to configure it, and the reputation of the company. If you put together a VPN request for proposal (RFP), that would include a company profile request. A response might look like this:
OpenVPN is the author of open source virtual private network (OpenVPN) software and the provider of multi-platform OpenVPN applications across all OS platforms ranging from Windows, mac, Linux, Android, and iOS and end-to-end OpenVPN servers on the cloud. As the de facto standard in VPN technology — with over 60 million downloads since inception and 20 years going strong — no major vulnerabilities have been found. With widespread usage, the cooperation of the open source community, and multiple security audits, we deliver security you can trust. At OpenVPN, our mission is to connect your world securely by providing a safer, more secure experience online.
In addition to choosing a security-minded, reliable company, you must choose the best software. A good business VPN must:
- Adhere to the OpenVPN industry standard
- Use reliable, top-notch encryption
- Provide a dedicated IP address
- Provide hotspot protection
- Respect your privacy
- Provide 24/7 customer support
- Come recommended by people you trust
Our OpenVPN CEO, Francis Dinha, explains, “Choosing a VPN without carefully vetting your provider could leave you unprotected and subject to risky liability issues — you may even accidentally download malware in the process.”
What are important features and benefits to look for?
- BYOD regardless of operating system
- Scalable, fault-tolerant, and flexible deployment options
- VPN administration web portal
- Fine-grained access control
- One-click client distribution
- Multiple secure authentication modes
- No-hassle certificate management
- Transparent open source code
OpenVPN Access Server and CloudConnexa provide you with two options for a strong business VPN.
OpenVPN Access Server is our self-hosted VPN solution. It’s easy to test out with two free simultaneous connections. We provide a flexible subscription purchase that you can increase or decrease as your needs demand. It’s built on transparent open source code. The Admin Web UI provides you with a VPN administration web portal to easily maintain your server and users. The free VPN client software, OpenVPN Connect, is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can create fine-grained access control based on IP address, protocol, or even port granularity. It integrates seamlessly with multiple secure authentication modes.
CloudConnexa is our next-gen private networking solution — an OpenVPN-as-a-Service product. It eliminates the need for VPN server installation. We provide hosted services in regions around the globe. It’s easy to test out with three free simultaneous connections. We provide a flexible subscription purchase that you can increase or decrease as your needs demand. It’s built on transparent open source code. The web-based administration portal provides a clean UI to manage your network and users. The free VPN client software, OpenVPN Connect, is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It integrates with SAML authentication products.
And finally, how do you know if the VPN will fit your specific business needs? It helps if you can find a company that provides you with a free trial period or free connections. For example, OpenVPN Access Server provides two free concurrent connections. This allows you the ability to launch your server, set up users, and test the configuration of routing, authentication, and other specifics for your network. With CloudConnexa, we provide you with three free concurrent connections to set up and test all features and functionality.
Next-gen VPN with CloudConnexa
With CloudConnexa, your VPN lives within our secure worldwide network. From there, it's easy to set up a full-mesh, site-to-site private global network. You can also provide remote access to your team, and even provide secure Remote Desktop and web server connections. All of this can be done without opening up private networks to internet access.
CloudConnexa includes the following features:
- Uses the secure and thoroughly tested OpenVPN protocol
- IP-layer networking allows access to all TCP and UDP based services
- Supports site-to-site networking
- Supports remote access
- Supports peer-to-peer communication
- Self-service portal for VPN administrators
- Self-service portal for end users
- Static IP addresses for user devices and network connectors
- CloudConnexa DNS services or use customer’s internal private DNS servers
- Split tunnel networking
- Identity verification using X509 certificates
- Supports SAML 2.0 identity federation for SSO
- Integrates with your private LDAP directory
- Full-mesh access or fine-grained access control user groups
Conclusion
Finding the best VPN for your business can feel overwhelming, especially if your background isn’t in tech. But whether you’re an IT admin with years of experience or a new business owner without any VPN knowledge whatsoever, OpenVPN has a product that you can set up easily and efficiently — and that will protect your network as you grow.