VPN: What It Is and What It Is For

Communications have revolutionized the possibilities of connection from anywhere in the world, making more flexible business and work models possible. This demand for connectivity makes it necessary for a company’s headquarters to be able to connect with other branches to transfer data or use applications, or its employees who are physically working at home just as they would if they were sitting at their workplace in the office. 

As we see, the internet has changed the way companies work in many ways. Today, a company is not conceivable that is not connected to the world through this network and this is where the VPN comes into play. We discover what it is and what it is for in the business field.

What is a VPN?

A VPN, for its acronym Virtual Private Network, is a tool that will allow two points, whether two headquarters of a company or an employee with any of them, to communicate securely as if they were within the network. To give an example, through the VPN the headquarters of a company that is in a province becomes at the communications level in the next room.

To facilitate the process, it is necessary that both offices have an internet connection. What does a VPN do? It is responsible for establishing a secure communication channel between both points. It is one of the main tools that helps take advantage of the digital transformation of a business.

The VPN, through the protocol established in its configuration, sets up an encrypted communication tunnel through which the data will go from one location to another safely, without being interrupted or intercepted on its journey through the Internet. 

Types of VPNs that can be used in the company

Typically, VPNs implemented are of two types: LAN to LAN or client to LAN:

– LAN to LAN. It is the one that will be used to connect two different headquarters. To do this, a device is needed in each of them, a VPN router, which is capable of establishing communication, setting up the encryption tunnel, and managing traffic between both headquarters efficiently.

– Client to LAN. It is used for an employee who teleworks remotely to connect to the company’s resources from anywhere. In this case, as a general rule, a VPN router is needed in the company and a software VPN client on the computer from which you carry out your activity. Windows already has one that allows you to configure all the parameters.

It is possible that in the case of a VPN for connecting remote workers, it can be managed through software, a program that we contract with different providers and that facilitates the connection between our office and the remote computer in a secure way that, normally, will be installed at both points.

Why use a VPN in the company?

The main reason to use a VPN in the company is security. It’s not just about being able to access data and work when we are not physically in our office, but we have to do it securely. This is where the encryption tunnel adds an extra layer of security, to ensure that no one can access the data while it is traveling from one computer to another.

For example, we use the airport’s public WiFi to connect to the company and send sales data while we are waiting for our plane to take off. Many other people are connected to this WiFi, so an incorrect configuration can cause our data to be accessible. If we use a VPN, our traffic is already encrypted from our computer without being vulnerable even if another person can intercept it. So, are you going to use a VPN?