Remote Access VPN Guide: What Is Remote Access

If your company has decided to embrace the security that virtual private networks (VPNs) offer, selecting the perfect remote access VPN is one of the topmost effective solutions you’ll find to incorporate a remote workforce and adhere. The remote access VPN guide makes it easier to adopt the best solutions.

Gartner analysts say Virtual Private Networks allow remote workers to connect to an organization’s network through a secured tunnel. Users can benefit from the internal protection and services offered to on-site users, such as perimeter gateways and firewalls, sensitive document repositories, and email collaboration tools.

Standard remote-access VPNs have proven reliable, providing a quick remedy to vulnerabilities. A detailed guide provided later in this article will guide you in setting up a secured remote access VPN.

But then,

What Is Remote Access?

Remote access is the means by which authorized access can be built around a network from any location. Users can stay connected even when they are far away physically, making it essential for employees working remotely for a company.

Employees can improve their productivity due to their access to the files and system resources connected to the organization’s network. It also makes it easy to work with other colleagues working on-site or at different locations.

Organizations have the opportunity to employ the best hands from any part of the world, resulting in improved quality output for the company without incurring additional overhead costs.

The most usual method of offering remote access is through a remote access VPN. The VPN was designed to allow branch offices to log into an organization’s applications safely. It, therefore, assures an encrypted and safe connection to a network.

How Does Remote Access Work?

The remote user is connected through the internet to the host computer. It requires that the remote access software is downloaded and installed on the remote and local systems. After the software is installed, the local device will be able to access the remote system and carry out activities like managing updates, handling administrative tasks, and running applications.

Importance Of Remote Access VPN

Setting remote access is essential for remote workers because it gives them direct access to the organization’s resources without being around in the office. Hence users can connect to the network from diverse areas globally with their devices.

Sometimes, there may be issues with a device that may be hard for a remote worker to solve but demand the IT personnel’s physical assistance. However, with remote access installation in place, the IT personnel can access the remote device without being physically present.

Setting Up A Secure Remote Access VPN

Here is a remote access VPN guide that reveals what security and network teams must investigate before setting up a VPN:

1. The entire tunnel is recommended because it encrypts and routes requests via the VPN, notwithstanding the host, unlike split tunneling, which makes it possible for remote users to access secured and unsecured networks once they are connected to a VPN. This implies that malicious users can penetrate the organization’s network through the remote user’s link.
2. Centrally authenticated procedure is the most scalable authentication method because it can both leverage radius and active directory.
3. Configure access policy according to assigned user roles.
4. Make use of solid encryptions and hashing to secure integrity and data privacy—algorithms like ECDH, Sha 512, and AES-256.
5. Be sure that your VPN has a certificate because it helps to prove that users are connected to the correct VPN gateway.,
6. Check out your hardware model and the number of concurrent sessions it allows. The more the number of hardware enhancements, CPU, and memory, the more the number of potential users that can be supported.
7. Keep your firewalls updated so you are not open to known vulnerabilities.

Establishing A VPN Connection

A user connects first to the internet and then initiates a VPN connection using a web browser or locally installed client software to the VPN server in the organization.

The VPN server then grants the user permission based on their access level, giving them freedom into the company resources through the secure tunnel.

The popular technologies adopted when connecting to a company’s network are Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and Internet Protocol Security (IPSec).

The IPsec is the most used VPN technology because it offers protection at the IP level layer. It can secure communication between a remotely used device and a corporate network. It was designed to ensure data confidentiality and integrity, offering enterprise-grade security features.

You do not have to rely on a third-party VPN to initiate the connection with SSL. With any web browser, resources can be accessed remotely.

Conclusion

The widely accepted remote working method embraced by several organizations has excellent benefits with new risks that can wreck an entire company if not addressed. It, therefore, calls for the provision of adequate corporate security while adopting the remote working system and which can be achieved by adhering to the remote access guide.

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