VPN – Connect Through A Secure Port

One of the pillars that supports being able to work remotely is VPN networks, given the insecurity that a private or public network outside the company can cause. While they are not something new, they have seen an increase in their use in the last year.

A year ago the labor sector underwent one of its biggest changes in recent times. The appearance of the coronavirus led to an unprecedented acceleration in the implementation of teleworking.

Although in the first instance, companies implemented what we could define as’ remote work ‘, adapting quickly as best they could, making use of employees’ personal computers, Wi-Fi networks, etc., over the months, and seeing that the system worked, there are many companies that have decided to bet more firmly on teleworking, either totally or in a hybrid format, combining it with offices that have also been transformed. But for this, it is necessary to implement certain measures.

One of the pillars that supports being able to work remotely is VPN networks, given the insecurity that a private or public network outside the company can cause. Although they are not something new, they have experienced an increase in their use in the last year.

What is a VPN network?

We are talking about a network technology whose purpose is to be able to connect to a private network and access the equipment connected to it. The acronyms that form this word come from the English expression Virtual Private Network, which comes to mean ‘virtual private network’. It can also be used to link different networks to each other in a secure way.

When we connect to a VPN of the company, what we do is modify the IP address from which we access, becoming a virtual and private address of the company, which provides us with access to the internal systems and networks of each company. In this way, we can work remotely with the guarantee that we have a secure connection with the company.

The purpose of these virtual private networks is to protect the information that is exchanged by establishing what Incibe calls a ‘secure communication tunnel’ between the worker and the company. Its operation is based on encryption techniques that prevent others from intercepting or manipulating it, thus guaranteeing the confidentiality and integrity of the data. In addition, through the company’s servers, access to selected users is verified and limited.

Types of VPN

• Depending on the purpose that the company seeks, there are different types of VPN, which from the INCIBE classify as follows:
• Applications client/server designed for access via HTTP data stored on the server.
• VPN gateways that allow HTTP access to server applications that do not have a native web-based interface.
• VPN gateways that act as a tunneling web proxy, accepting HTTP connections from the client application, remove the HTTP header from the native client/server protocol, and forward it to the server.
• Remote access VPN connections that use SSL and carry all network protocols.

Advantages of Virtual Private Network

• Works in all applications
• Easy connection and disconnection
• Provides extra security
• Allows spoofing of the location to avoid censorship or access limited content
• It does not allow the internet provider to have information about your activity on the network.

Aspects to consider

• Although the advantages are indeed important, before connecting a VPN we also need to be clear about certain points.
• Works in all applications
• Everything you do connect to a VPN will be visible to its owners, who in most cases are usually the company you work for.
• Network speed may be affected.

There is VPN beyond telecommuting

Although its best-known use is focused on work, the situations in which it is useful to have a VPN connection are varied. An example is a use made of these to avoid censorship and geo-blocking of content. Likely, you have ever come across content that you could not access due to limitations in your geographical area. This can be solved by accessing with a VPN located in another territory. Another situation where it can be useful to make use of a VPN on a personal level is for example when we want to access bank accounts online, giving it an extra layer of security, yes, if the VPN network is not our own, we must be sure who it belongs to and consider whether it is to be trusted.

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