Understanding the Importance of Online Privacy in 2023
The era of remote work brought several challenges through online privacy. Businesses with remote or hybrid employees face severe data privacy problems for a long time. The increasing number of remote employees and remote access to company resources has accelerated the need for developed privacy solutions.
Remote access poses a significant risk to the company’s privacy. Employees can easily risk private data and other crucial business resources. On the other hand, cybercriminals aim at remote employees more than on-site ones since remote employees are more prone to cyber-attacks. Public Wi-Fi usage, personal computers, and inadequate knowledge of privacy increase the possibility of security breaches.
Online privacy is vital in 2023 also due to compliance liabilities. Authorities force companies to comply with data privacy and online security regulations. In case of any incompliance or breach of these regulations, companies are subject to sanctions. It means both financial and reputational loss.
What Exactly is “Always-on VPN”?
Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a well-known and efficient cybersecurity tool for a long time. With a great range of variety, it will keep its popularity among both individuals and corporations. Businesses adopt VPNs to secure their online activity and user credentials. VPNs create a virtual tunnel between the end-user and the private network. Thanks to this tunnel, corporations can secure employees through their interactions and communications over the corporate network.
VPN usually requires activation, and it’s the user’s responsibility to switch it on. However, some employees, especially remote ones, may neglect to activate a VPN connection. On the other hand, sometimes VPNs itself can become inactivated. Accessing company data resources without a proper VPN connection risks company data and private resources. It is an enormous danger for corporations that they may lose their vital data and reputations. Data breaches have become more severe worldwide in 2023 according to statistics and millions of people have been affected by them.
Always-on VPN, on the other hand, refers to the continuous VPN connection. VPN protection stays active as long as a user has an Internet connection. If the VPN connection is interrupted, an always-on VPN stops the Internet connection of users immediately. This real-time response to the VPN absence secures hybrid employees by avoiding their access to the private company network.
For instance, secure methods like e-cards are famous for protecting personal and professional communications. E-cards provide a safe and convenient way to exchange information, ensuring that sensitive data remains confidential.
Breaking Down the Major VPN Protocols: A Quick Overview
VPN protocols are crucial parts of security and privacy. Choosing a VPN protocol depends mainly on the requirements of the VPN user. VPN protocols differ in terms of speed, security level, and devices that are used. Here, we will define some major VPN protocols and their prominent features.
L2TP/IPSec (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol / Internet Protocol Security)
L2TP has plenty of use cases, and one of them is VPNs. It is a replacement for the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol. L2TP is usually used with IPSec to increase security since L2TP is deprived of authentication or encryption features. Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) offers data protection via encryption and authentication.
IKEv2/IPSec (Internet Key Exchange Version 2/ Internet Protocol Security)
IKEv2 is commonly used in mobile phones. The features of IKEv2 can accelerate the security level of mobile phones when combined with IPSec. VPN protection is also vital for employees’ mobile devices since they use them to conduct their daily work. IKEv2/IPSec offers a stable and secure VPN connection. Moreover, IKEv2 is a protocol that does not compromise on speed. If you are looking for a speedy option, consider the IKEv2/IPSec protocol for your VPN solution.
Open VPN
Open VPN is another VPN protocol option for companies to use. It presents a flexible and reliable VPN experience without compromising on speed. It is an open-source protocol and supports both UDP and TCP connections. Open VPN can also be used for encryption with SSL/TLS.
Protocol Balancing
Protocol balancing refers to the activity of distributing network traffic to the appropriate, several protocols. It is a network management technique to increase network privacy and security. The main purpose of protocol balancing (or protocol load balancing) is to optimize security in every part of the network resources.
Distributing the traffic load is the first step of protocol balancing. Different network services or applications may require different types of communication protocols. Another step is performance optimization. When network traffic is routed to the proper protocols that they suit more, VPNs become more efficient.
Organizations can implement protocol balancing via hardware appliances, software balancers, and software-defined networking (SDN) solutions. They can organize and handle different types of protocols through the network by using the protocol balancing method.
IKEv2 and OpenVPN: A Comparative Analysis
The choice between IKEv2 and OpenVPN depends mostly on the needs of the network. Here is a comparative analysis of IKEv2 and OpenVPN in different aspects.
The configuration of IKEv2 is less complex in comparison to OpenVPN. IKEv2 requires minimal user interaction while OpenVPN needs third-party software or apps. Although OpenVPN is quite complicated to configure, it is more customizable.
IKEv2 can be considered faster than OpenVPN. IKEv2 is used for mobile phones and offers quick re-establishments. OpenVPN, on the other hand, presents a data protection and encryption solution. These promises make OpenVPN slower than IKEv2. Always-on VPN protocol recommendations are similar to those mentioned above. The crucial thing is to choose the appropriate protocol that is the best for the always-on VPN, a protocol that can fit in perfectly.
Both OpenVPN and IKEv2 are secure and reliable protocols to use in VPNs. However, OpenVPN requires more configuration to achieve the same level of security as IKEv2.
Tips for Fine-Tuning Your VPN Protocol Settings
Choosing the right protocol for your VPN is the first step of fine-tuning. Above, we mentioned the fundamental features of VPN protocols. Your choice must depend on your requirements and demands.
Using UDP and TCP for speed and reliability is also vital for fine-tuning VPN protocol settings. You can prioritize speed or security. You can choose between UDP and TCP according to your prior concern.
Regular updates and monitoring are crucial parts of VPN protocol setting fine-tuning. Never neglect regular updates and network monitoring to optimize your VPN protocol performance.
Common Pitfalls in VPN Protocol Selection & How to Avoid Them
Companies do not consider the security features of VPN protocols at times. They focus more on speed or prices. However, selecting a low-secure VPN protocol may lead to a data breach and compliance issues. Favoring speed over security is another pitfall in terms of VPN protocol selection. Although speed means a lot to the business environment, the priority should always be security.
The Future of VPN Protocols
The future of VPN protocols will be shaped by developing technologies, changing security requirements, and people’s demands. Data privacy will keep its importance and become the most vital part of any company. Data privacy solutions, in this sense, will be in the spotlight, and the need for more developed VPN protocols seems quite possible in the future.
