Turning a small business into a truly successful enterprise takes a lot of work. Every business owner faces unique challenges and hurdles on the road to success – maybe it’s attracting new customers, retaining brand loyalty or simply finding the time for everything that needs to be done. That’s where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help.
A VPN is an online service that allows those working from home or those who travel regularly to appear as though they are working from their office location. For those looking to move away from the desk and increase their mobility, there are now mobile VPN services available too. Below is a comprehensive list of Vpn Software For Small Business.
Perimeter 81
Perimeter 81 is a specialist business VPN. It allows businesses to deploy private VPN servers that staff can securely connect to from anywhere in the world. You can easily manage network activity for your entire staff without an IT degree from an online dashboard. This will allow employees to securely access files, apps, and other resources securely from remote locations.
Perimeter 81 caters to businesses with unique security features like network segmentation to isolate sensitive data from breaches. If your business has offices in different locations, you can set up site to site VPNs to connect the two networks. Cloud VPNs allow remote access and can easily be scaled up as needed.
All data is encrypted with 256-bit AES. If you don’t deploy your own VPN, you can choose from 700 public servers in 36 locations around the world. Businesses can monitor access to the VPN by logging and inspecting all traffic that passes through it.
Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Chrome.
Pros:
- Caters specifically to businesses
- Deploy your own server or choose from public ones
- Supports site-to-site VPNs
- Host apps and files on the VPN server
- Strong encryption
- Supports network segmentation
Cons:
- Not the cheapest option in this list
NordVPN
Nord Teams is NordVPN’s business-focused service for small to medium sized businesses. You can easily set up secure remote access to both the office network and to the internet. Every user account can be managed from a single, centralized control panel. You can tunnel connections from work devices through 33 different countries. Adding users is easy and won’t complicate billing.
Third-party authentication works with GSuite, OneLogin, Okta, And Azure. Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. Strong encryption and a kill switch ensures your organization’s data is protected at all times. Nord Teams promises to assist businesses that need support in less than three hours.
Pros:
- Fast and reliable connections
- Military-grade 256-bit encryption for great privacy
- Strict no-logs policy ideal for privacy-conscious users
- Unlimited bandwidth and no data caps
- Apps for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Linux and Android
Cons:
- Desktop app can take some getting used to
Twingate
Twingate is a new VPN business with some interesting features that set it apart from others in this list. Twingate is a cloud-based service that differentiates itself from traditional VPN solutions thanks to zero-trust access control and making gateways invisible to the internet. Twingate can be deployed without changing network infrastructure and is easily scaled.
Twingate supports single sign on (SSO) so that staff can only access the resources that IT admins give them. That includes on-cloud and on-premises apps and remote networks. Split tunneling allows traffic to pass through the network only if necessary, while more bandwidth-intensive activities like video calls go through a direct connection.
Pros:
- Zero-trust access control
- Supports most major single sign-on (SSO) providers
- Easily deployed
- Split tunneling
Cons:
- Not a VPN, strictly speaking
Windscribe
Windscribe has an offering tailored specifically for teams and businesses, named ScribeForce. This is a low-cost service, ideal for business-owners on a budget. The plan gives you all features of a Windscribe Pro plan which includes access to over 600 servers in more than 50 countries. You also get centralized billing and a panel from you can configure and manage your entire team.
Windscribe offers fast speeds and top-notch security. It uses 256-bit encryption with perfect forward secrecy, a kill switch, and DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection. A new feature blocks ads and malware on all devices. The service doesn’t log any information that can identify you.
Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. Currently, an unlimited number of devices can be connected under each plan.
Pros:
- App has a native firewall that blocks all non-VPN traffic to avoid data leaks
- Low-cost budget option for businesses
- Blocks ads and malware on all devices
- Works in China
- Fast server speeds and reliable connections
Cons:
- No true live chat will frustrate some users
CyberGhost
There’s no dedicated business VPN option available at Romania-headquartered CyberGhost. But it makes the best VPN for business list due to its affordability and number of simultaneous connections in paid accounts.
This provider has been adding new servers at a frenetic pace. Currently, there are more than 5,000 servers spread across 60 countries but we expect this to keep going up in the medium term. The additional benefit for businesses is that it has an internal policy of not storing any data logs so the content of communications should remain hidden, even from system administrators at the company. There are apps for both Android and iOS as well as desktop support for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. A single account allows for five simultaneous connections.
This VPN service uses 256-bit AES encryption on the OpenVPN protocol by default along with 2,048-bit RSA keys and MD5 HMAC authentication. There’s also an internet kill switch which means web traffic will be halted if the connection drops unexpectedly.
Seven devices can connect at the same time with one account.
Pros:
- Some of the fastest servers we’ve tested
- Kill switch on all apps and keeps no logs
- Budget provider that doesn’t compromise on security and privacy
- Apps are easy to install and use
Cons:
- No business-specific service
- Not suitable for those that need control of advanced features
IPVanish
IPVanish continues in the vein of having a zero-logs policy. It combines that with rigid encryption protocols and a focus on quick speeds to deliver a robust product overall.
At the moment there are more than 1,900 servers spread across the world with a decent selection in each continent. Encryption standards are similarly impressive. IPVanish uses 256-bit encryption on the OpenVPN protocol by default, SHA512 authentication, and a DHE-RSA 2,048-bit key exchange with perfect forward secrecy. An internet kill switch is available in all clients.
There are apps for both iOS and Android as well as desktop programs for Windows and MacOS. One account allows for five simultaneous connections.
Pros:
- Impressive speeds and reliable connections
- A fairly thorough knowledge base is searchable on the company website
- DNS and IPv6 leak protection, traffic obfuscation, and a kill switch are all built in
Cons:
- No business-specific service
- Look elsewhere if you need to use apps in China
- Doesn’t offer any browser extensions
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN has thousands of servers spread across 94 countries, which means it’s a pretty good choice for employees that might have to travel frequently or work remotely. The largest selection is in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific with a smaller number in Africa and the Middle East.
The VPN service is a firm favorite with users as it offers fast speeds coupled with military-grade encryption. Privacy-conscious users will be happy that ExpressVPN does not store any traffic logs. The only tiny bit of metadata retention pertains to the date (not time) of connection, choice of server location, and total bandwidth used.
It helps that ExpressVPN’s headquarters are in the British Virgin Islands and it therefore doesn’t have to comply with any mandatory data retention laws. This means it’s also out of the jurisdiction of western government agencies.
Encryption standards are stringent. The provider utilizes 256-bit AES-CBC as its default encryption protocol as well as both HMAC authentication and perfect forward secrecy. There’s an internet kill switch included, which the company refers to as a ‘network lock’.
It’s not very generous when it comes to simultaneous connections, however, with a maximum of three devices allowed on a single plan.
Apps are available for both iOS and Android as well as desktop software for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Pros:
- High speeds for downloading and video streaming
- Solid privacy and security
- Great capabilities for unblocking geo-locked content
Cons:
- No business-specific service
- Slightly more expensive than some other options
- Power-users may find the advanced options limited
Twingate
Not technically a VPN, Twingate is another zero trust network with the primary aim of keeping your business’s data as secure as possible and only available to those who really need it. Those trying to get access to the company network will be assumed to be ‘untrusted’ by default, only giving authorization once the right hoops have been jumped through and, even then, you get to choose what members of your business can access what systems.
If that sounds like it’s going to make working in an agile way a pain, there’s no need to worry. Twingate has been designed to function quietly in the background. From initial set up to day-to-day operation, the whole point is that you’ll barely know Twingate is there cloaking your network from bad actors.
On that front, Twingate boasts in big bold text on its homepage that this is a product that has been ‘Built for IT admins’. Available to deploy in just a few minutes and then managed from a centralised console, this is a provider has got the back of the poor old IT helpdesk tasked with handling yet another piece of corporate software.
Twingate has some hefty support documents online, which is handy if you run into a specific issue. But we’d definitely value a more instant form of support – somebody on the end of a phone, or at least a live chat operative available 24/7.
Of the business ‘VPNs’ on this page, Twingate has some of the most attractive ‘per user’ pricing, especially if you’re a mid-size corporation and so only really need its ‘Teams’ package.
TorGuard
TorGuard certainly has a huge selection of servers, meaning you should never have a problem finding a reliable connection. That said, our testing revealed only average levels of performance, with some spikes in latency. Still, the speed trade-off might well be worth it as you get tons of options to set up your VPN experience on any OS.
Every TorGuard business VPN account comes with a 24/7 dedicated account manager and access to a dedicated VPN management portal. Security-wise, TorGuard takes care of business (ahem) with all the regular protocols, 256-bit AES encryption, and a ‘Stealth VPN’ option that avoids deep packet inspection.
Encrypt.me
Encrypt.me Business VPN is a great choice for smaller teams who frequently use multiple devices. This is because the provider supports an unlimited number of devices which isn’t something you see often. Apart from that, the provider offers very solid performance and it’s quite simple to use.
Encrypt.me works on all major platforms, including iOS, Android, MacOS and Windows, and it’s available via Amazon as well. Each employee will have to download the app and they’ll be ready to use it in minutes.
Security is very good with several interesting features available. You have DNS protection, Auto-Secure function, Content filtering, and private endpoints, so employees can connect to the office network remotely. As for privacy, there is some session logging though, so this might not be ideal for every business.
Conclusion
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are fast becoming the first line of protection for businesses and those who operate them. When cyberattacks on small business become more frequent and every bit as damaging as those undertaken by major targets, small businesses simply can’t afford to take on risks like lack of privacy and bandwidth capacity.