Over the past 30 years, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) provide security and anonymity to users browsing the internet. Through the use of encryption technology, VPNs make it hard for third party companies, advertisers, and even cyber criminals to track users’ internet activity and steal personal information. Most businesses, schools, and government entities include VPNs as part of their overall cyber-security programs.
Growth in Remote Working Styles
The increase in the number of remote workers since the pandemic has caused incredible strain on older and legacy VPNs. With more and more companies relying on VDI, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and other virtual technologies, providing secure and stable connectivity has become increasingly challenging.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the main reasons why legacy VPNs are being replaced and how switching to a hybrid-access-as-a-service (HAaaS) model is the solution to securing the workplace of the future.
Legacy VPNs are slow and not that secure
Traditional VPNs are too slow and outdated to keep up with an advanced digital and mobile workforce. Virtual video conferencing, team meetings, and productivity and project management apps are all vital for communication and accomplishing critical business goals. These applications require lightning-fast speed and high-performance connectivity.
Slow and sometimes choppy internet/network connections from older VPNs frustrate employees and lessen productivity. Legacy VPNs are also less secure, which makes them prime targets for cyber criminals to exploit network weaknesses and failures. Today’s VPNs must be able to turbocharge connectivity and security while providing the highest level of end-to-end performance.
Using IPsec for VPNs isn’t conducive for a remote workforce
Many organizations use IPsec (Internet Protocol secure) to set up and manage VPNs. IPsec works by encrypting connections between various devices that send and receive data through public networks over the internet.
The problem with using IPsec for VPNs is that it greatly increases the strain on already overloaded networks, causing even slower and spottier performance. Another problem is a growing remote workforce using many different types of mobile devices. A lot of these devices don’t have the configuration capabilities or ability to support IPsec setup. Plus, these devices are constantly being upgraded and improved with new applications and features, making it difficult for IPsec to keep up.
Finally, IPsec isn’t easy to set up. Non-technical remote workers will have a difficult time trying to configure their own VPNs using IPsec protocols.
Conclusion
Traditional VPNs have served their purpose but are simply no longer able to keep up with the rapid change in workforce trends. The legacy hardware is just too ill-equipped to handle a “cloud-everything” and “work-from-anywhere” environment. The new hybrid workforce requires faster speed and higher security than legacy VPNs can deliver.
The solution to this new hybrid workforce is Cloudbrink’s Hybrid-Access-as-a-Service (HAaaS) a new form of remote access technology.
