The Importance of VPN for Teleworkers
Before we ask why VPN is important for teleworkers, we should take a brief look at how we got where we are now.
Looking back, WFH (work from home) wasn’t always a favorable concept for IT departments. Slow connections, limited networking options and a lack of effective managed remote solutions kept employers from considering deploying a WFH policy.
Now, internet providers have resources that produce faster network speeds with better bandwidth, while also providing widespread coverage using cable, fiber, wireless and edge technologies. Meanwhile, company IT security teams have access to effective and robust solutions to support thousands of remote connections. It’s because of these advancements that we’ve seen the adoption of WFH corporate policies grow, allowing more members of today’s workforce to work out of their own homes instead of from a traditional company office.
As WFH usage grows, and not just organically as we’ve recently witnessed with COVID-19’s immediate impact on the workforce, there is a critical concern about securing the millions of remote connections currently traversing the internet’s infrastructure to reach their corporate destinations. That’s where VPN comes into play.
VPN, or virtual private networking, is a technology that uses encryption algorithms and tunneling protocols to protect data as it travels from a remote endpoint, like a company laptop on an employee’s home network, to a VPN gateway running in a corporate datacenter via an encrypted virtual tunnel. With a VPN, companies can provide their teleworkers with way to continue working without having to physically be in a company office.
Let’s take quick look at why VPN is important to today’s teleworkers:
Connect from anywhere: Today’s workforce isn’t restricted to just working out of a corporate office or the home. Many of today’s workers rely on mobile technologies to stay connected via Wi-Fi from wherever they are, be it at a coffee shop, an airport, a hospital, or some other location. These guest networks may not provide the level of security needed to keep a company’s digital assets safe from hackers or leaks. VPN helps fortify and secure these connections, giving teleworkers more location options from which to work.
Access to corporate resources: VPN provides teleworkers with a secure connection to devices and services sitting on or attached to the corporate network. Access to home directories, applications, cloud services and printers makes working remotely possible, especially if these resources are critical to one’s workflow.
Weak security at home: It’s not guaranteed that all home networks are secured; weak passwords, open networks, and outdated or unpatched systems can be an open door for malicious actions, especially for tech-challenged employees who have other work-related responsibilities to worry about. By using VPN, companies are able to provide a dependable security solution to protect their digital and physical assets from direct attacks, even if the attack is coming from
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