When staff work from home, client sites or anywhere outside the office, they need a way to access company resources securely. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, creates an encrypted tunnel between a remote device and your office network. It is one of the most important tools for any business with remote or hybrid workers.
We set up VPN access for businesses across London, Essex and the wider South East regularly. Here is a practical overview of what is involved.
What a Business VPN Actually Does
When a staff member connects to your business VPN from home, their traffic is encrypted and routed through your office network. From the perspective of your internal systems, they appear to be in the office. They can access file servers, internal applications, printers and other resources exactly as they would if they were physically present.
This is distinct from consumer VPN services like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, which are designed to mask your browsing activity and are not suitable for connecting to business infrastructure.
VPN Protocols
The most common business VPN protocols are OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard. WireGuard is the newest and offers the best combination of speed and security. IKEv2 is reliable and well supported on all platforms. OpenVPN is the most established and widely compatible option. For most small businesses, the choice of protocol matters less than getting the setup right.
Router-Based VPN
The simplest approach for most small businesses is to enable VPN server functionality on your existing business router. Most business routers from Cisco, Netgear and TP-Link support this. Staff install a VPN client on their device, enter the connection details, and connect. The traffic is encrypted between their device and the office router.
The limitation is that the VPN performance depends on your office internet connection. If your office upload bandwidth is limited, many simultaneous VPN connections will be slow.
Cloud-Based VPN Alternatives
For businesses using Microsoft 365 and Azure Active Directory, Microsoft offers Always On VPN and Azure AD Application Proxy as alternatives to traditional VPN. These allow remote access to specific applications without routing all traffic through the office network.
Cloudflare Zero Trust and similar ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) solutions are increasingly popular for businesses wanting to move beyond traditional VPN. They provide granular access control and do not require all traffic to flow through a central point.
Security Considerations
A VPN is only as secure as the credentials used to access it. Multi-factor authentication on VPN access is essential. An attacker with a stolen username and password should not be able to access your network. Most modern VPN solutions support MFA integration.
For London and Essex Businesses
With many London and Essex businesses now operating hybrid working models, reliable VPN access has become a core business requirement. We can advise on the right solution for your setup, whether that is router-based VPN, Microsoft Azure AD integration or a dedicated VPN appliance.
Browse our networking range, or read our network setup guide. Contact our team in Ilford for personalised advice.
