What Is a VPN And How It Works: Advice For Companies

virtual private network VPN, According to the latest Clusit report, severe cyber attacks in the three years 2018-2020 grew by 20%. Hackers exploit the weak points of corporate networks and cyber criminals to steal data or to spread viruses and ransomware.

The most exposed are web services to the outside world and connections with collaborators who work remotely.

An ideal solution to reduce this risk is activating a professional VPN.

A VPN allows companies to connect all locations and share information securely while protecting data from prying eyes.

The service also provides secure access to remote users who work from home or on mobile phone devices that connect via hotspots or public networks.

Is it challenging to choose the right VPN for a business? The answer is no, as long as you know how a VPN works and can select a provider that can provide exemplary professional-level service. Below you will find a short guide to simplify your choice.

What is a VPN, and how does it work?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, i.e., virtual private network.

A VPN connection allows you to connect to a corporate network remotely and securely with any device.

The term virtual refers to computers being not physically connected like in a Local Area Network ( LAN ).

The VPN, on the other hand, uses another infrastructure provided by a provider, on which the so-called VPN tunnel is created.

In this tunnel, the data can travel to the recipient in an encrypted and hidden form, therefore inaccessible from the outside, as if they were in a safe.

The benefits of a corporate VPN: security, scalability, and stability

The advantages of using VPNs for businesses are considerable, both from a security and an economic point of view :

Safety

  1. you can connect a single PC or the LANs of two or more company offices, in the same country or abroad. This secure network can be used by collaborators but also by authorized external users who need to access confidential data within the servers
  2. guarantee the security, integrity, and authenticity of the information, even if it is transmitted over the public network

Flexibility and Scalability

  1. optimize infrastructure costs, thanks to the possibility of connecting LANs virtually without the need for dedicated physical connections
  2. you can take advantage of all available access technologies (FTTx, ADSL, FWA) because the VPN does not depend on the type of connectivity
  3. you can activate a VPN even on mobile devices
  4. use your network H24 from any location with guaranteed security

Authenticity and Integrity

  1. blocks access to the corporate network by unauthorized users
  2. you can create profiled access to information for each user
  3. guarantee data integrity thanks to an encrypted connection

What dangers does a VPN protect against?

For the VPN to truly protect the data, it must be secure in all its elements, that is, “secure by design.” But what exactly does that mean?

Let’s imagine a company wants to send an essential message with confidential data from site A to site B over the internet.

Without VPN, the data starts from point A through a simple router, transits over the public internet network in the clear, and reaches point B in a few seconds.

In this short journey, the information contained in the message – an industrial secret, the access data to the company account, confidential information on customers or employees – can be easily intercepted by hackers and malicious people who can use them for fraudulent purposes example,, to organize an attack—computer scientist. The potential dangers increase, of course, when connecting from hotspots or insecure WiFi networks.

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