In today’s uncertain times, most businesses have had to adjust to more of their employees performing their jobs remotely. But whether an employee is at home or on the road, thanks to technology, they should be able to work each day effectively and securely without ever having to go to the office; and what’s even better, they can do this with very little time and money up front, if any at all. Making just a few adjustments to your infrastructure will allow each user to access all the data, devices and information needed to be an efficient, productive employee. Using fast, easy VPN security protocols will ensure none of your confidential information is compromised.
What is a VPN?
10 years ago, most business professionals never used the term VPN and had no idea what it meant. But times have changed fast! Today, millions of companies use VPN’s and most people have seen or heard an advertisement for VPN’s, promising both security and privacy with their products. But what exactly is a VPN? A VPN, or virtual private network, extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Meaning any user with a VPN setup can quickly connect to their office, access all their files and devices on their network, even print checks or documents from anywhere in the world.
Affordable Options
But how? Many businesses think they need to hire full time expert IT professionals or pay large monthly fees for their employees to be connected to their office. But the truth is that secure remote access to your office can be very affordable. In fact, you might not realize that you are already paying for it! Every office in America already uses some form of router or firewall, and most firewalls will have some form of remote capability already built in. If it is a business class firewall, it may already have an off the shelf VPN server ready to go. A VPN server is what a user will connect to when working remotely. Using any PC, laptop, tablet, or phone with a configured VPN client will allow the user to connect and start working instantly. Even if your network currently has no VPN server, one can be easily installed, configured and ready to use in no time at all.
Secondary Options
What if a VPN connection to your office does not make sense for your business model? While a lot of businesses still access data in a central location on-site, many are turning to the cloud for storage, security, even virtualization of hardware and networks. This model makes it easy to access your information from anywhere, using any platform. Cloud computing usually includes a secure method to access data, so in most cases a direct VPN connection is not even necessary. The user can simply log in to their secure cloud location and start working, again from any device, anywhere in the world.
Do you have questions about secure remote access? Do you need something safe, fast, and easy to manage for your employees? We are always happy to give tips, expert advice, or start a project to get your business updated to an ever-changing world.
Sound interesting? Check out our Technology Consulting Page, or give us a call let’s talk about how we can add a technology expert to your team!
