VPNs have made significant progress in the field of online security. Users view it as a solution to their privacy issues. However, that is limited to commercial i.e., consumer use. VPN is a technology that has been around for a quarter of a century. It started for the sake of corporations, and today, despite the extensive efforts of commercial providers, it remains relevant in the corporate scene. While a consumer VPN has to cater to individuals one at a time, corporate VPNs aid network-to-network communication. That brings us to a remote access VPN and its advantages and disadvantages.
Both corporate and consumer VPNs are remote access. Essentially, the technology behind a commercial and a corporate VPN remains the same. They both use protocols to create a tunnel between points A and B. What differs is the implementation. So today, we will glean into how this technology works, then look at both sides of the coin regarding its use.
Note — Broadly, VPNs are divided on their use. Consumer/commercial VPNs are what we use for our private life. Every consumer VPN is a remote access VPN, but the same is not true inversely. Corporate VPNs are when a business uses a VPN to create a WAN (Wide Area Network). It falls under: i) Remote access. ii) Intranet-based site to site. iii) Extranet-based site to site.
What is remote access VPN?
As the name suggests, remote access VPNs allow users to access stuff remotely. However, it isn’t this simple when implemented as a corporate VPN technology. Remote access VPN allows distant employees to access and connect to a company’s internal network. It builds a secure yet, virtual tunnel to connect the employee to the network over the internet or any public Wi-Fi. The employees use client software or web-based applications to do so. It is a host-to-network connection.
When using a remote access VPN, the client encapsulates and encrypts the information before sending it to the VPN gateway at the exit point of a network. The gateway then forwards the data to NAS (Network Access Server) over the internet. NAS then authenticates the user based on the credentials used and replies accordingly. Typically, this works on the same concept as consumer VPNs – data travels from the client to the server, then to the target website. However, the corporate implementations incorporate dedicated hardware such as a VPN gateway to act as the entry/exit point.
Corporations create a remote access VPN in many ways. One is to use IPsec to provide authentication and encryption checkpoints. Another uses a tunnel and defines communication rules between two endpoints by employing protocols. Recently, the technology has combined both approaches into creating a more stable and secure version. For instance, IPsec can easily be combined with different tunneling protocols (e.g., IPsec/IKEv2) to achieve this result. IPsec VPNs can create authentication checkpoints and use tunneling to encrypt data based on the key exchange at the same time.
How does a remote access VPN work?
Remote access VPNs are a boon to any organization, both for the employer and employees. Although VPNs have been around for ages, remote access as a modern security adaptation only started making waves lately due to the pandemic. Now back to the question of how it works. The process itself is similar to how most VPNs work. The significant changes are that: instead of a server to bypass Netflix’s blocking; You are connecting to your office’s network for work.
- First, the employee uses the client software (IPsec VPNs) or a web browser (SSL VPN) to initiate a communication with the company network.
- The NAS authenticates the user based on credentials and allows him access.
- Then whatever data the employee sends gets encapsulated by the client software.
- It then reaches a VPN gateway located at the entry point of the target network via a tunnel.
- The communication itself takes place over the internet or any public network for that matter.
- Now the gateway decrypts the data and sends it along to the target.
- The returning communication works the same way.
IPsec VPN vs SSL VPN
There are two protocols a remote access VPN generally utilizes for corporate use: IPsec and SSL. Both are the latest iteration of protocols that works best within a corporate framework.
- IPsec — It is a protocol used for both remote access and a site to site VPN. This extension to the IP (Internet Protocol) standard currently being used by the internet favors corporate implementation. It is not a standalone but a suite of protocols.
- SSL — SSL, on the other hand, works solely with remote access. It doesn’t have client software and uses the browser to connect to the network. Therefore, it’s often called “clientless”.
| IPsec VPN | SSL VPN |
|---|---|
| It supports both TCP and UDP. | It supports only TCP. |
| IPsec runs at Layer 3 of the OSI model. | SSL encrypts layer 6 applications. |
| It is client-based and requires authorized installation and management. | It does not offer a client, but it works on browsers. |
| It allows for a seamless experience. | It is somewhat a hassle as it requires multiple levels of authentication. |
Advantages of remote access VPN
Due to the digital age, most businesses utilize online resources and there are often risks in doing so. That’s where a VPN comes into play. Due to their efficiency, VPNs are touted as a modern solution to online issues. Remote access VPNs are the prime example of an innovative implementation of old technology. Many companies have started shifting from traditional site-to-site VPNs to remote VPNs. That’s because remote access VPN comes with several benefits, such as:
Remote access to resources
It allows the organization to cut costs by employing remote workers without worry. Since it ensures remote access to the company’s resources, the management can relax and expand the remote workforce. It plays a significant role as the mobile workforce is always s welcome in an organization. Also, with remote access VPNs, the risk of data loss is a relic of the past.
Data security
Remote access VPN uses security protocols to encapsulate and encrypt data before tunneling it over the internet. The tunnel connects an employee with the corporate servers/network. This tunnel is very secure, so no third party can pry into what’s inside. Even if they intercepted the traffic somehow, without the corresponding decryption key, those who gain access to the encrypted data will only find scrambled gibberish.
Affordable
This type of VPN connection is much cheaper than site-to-site VPNs. After all, there is no need to maintain an internal network. Thus, the organization can pay $10 to $15 per month to avail of this service from a respectable provider. That means they can also outsource all typical worries like maintenance, upgrades, and configuration.
Boosts productivity
Since there is no one breathing down their necks, employees can work on their own. However, remote access helps by making sure any resource is available to them 24/7. Thus, they can collaborate or jointly submit a project by sharing resources. It makes the work fast and employees efficient.
Better work-life balance
It helps the employee regain their natural pace. A healthy employee will always be more productive than an overworked one. Now, remote access helps the employees by allowing them to escape the long hours of a traffic jam. They can even take time off during emergencies as long as they meet the deadline, which isn’t that hard if they have 24/7 access to the company’s resources instead of the typical 8 to 10 hours.
Disadvantages of remote access VPN
Every coin has two sides, and sadly so do VPNs. Here are some of the glaring drawbacks of a remote access VPN.
Security risks
Since you are using the network remotely, you open up the network to potential risks. In case of lost or stolen devices, malicious agents can infiltrate the company network by utilizing your credentials. You are more susceptible to hacks off-site. It is a castle and a moat security phenomenon. As long as you are outside, the moat effectively guards against you. But once you use credentials to lower the bridge to gain entry, it becomes useless. Remote access only protects a network from outsiders, but if a host/client is compromised, you can end up losing control of your network.
Reliability
Of course, since the remote access VPNs utilize the internet for connection, which is outside the control of an organization, it is far less reliable than closed networks with wires. As such, any irregularities on and with the internet can easily compromise your remote access connection.
Speed
It comes as no surprise that remote access VPNs tend to be slow. Due to an increase in latency and simultaneous sharing of bandwidth between employees, the speed can decrease drastically. Any VPN has limited bandwidth, and unlike consumer VPNs where a user can change the server to speed up his connection, employees are bound to the company network.
Network dependency
The whole infrastructure is dependent on the company network. If the network is unreliable, the work quality will fall substantially. Also, the remote access is as good as your connectivity. Moreover, if a VPN drops during a crucial presentation or project, you can lose out on more than productivity.