Watertight Security : The VPN your company chooses must be protected by stringent security measures. The data that travels back and forth must be secure, both as it moves from point to point and while at rest in each location. This involves adequate authorization, authentication, and administration. It is also important for all practices to support the security policies of the organization, including any established best practices that have been developed by the various IT staff in each location.
A VPN with properly programmed gateways will only let data through if it has the appropriate authentication. Otherwise, it is discarded, which, in many cases, keeps the network safe.
Ease of Operations : If a VPN is difficult to use, it can cause more frustration than convenience. Users should have the freedom to access the VPN using a web browser. While it is important to ensure ease of access, this should not result in lax security practices. If users have to take an extra step to get into the VPN, the extra security may be worth the additional few moments it takes to gain entry.
This does not mean access has to be cumbersome. In the majority of cases, employees should be able to get into the VPN using mobile devices like laptops, tablets, or smartphones.
With a VPN, you can also make network administration easier. You can manage remote locations from a central office and exercise complete control over the entire network. This gives you the flexibility to upgrade your security measures, including installing new features or updating existing software—all from one location.
Simple and Secure Scalability : It is easy to scale a VPN. You can add a new site, user, office, or partner organization in minutes. If you do not have to put additional VPN clients at each new location, it is quick and inexpensive to incorporate additional connections. Also, in case you need to relocate a satellite office, it is easy to set up another location.
Business Continuity : In the event of a disaster, whether naturally caused or due to an infrastructural issue, it is important to minimize business interruption and get back up and running as soon as possible. A site-to-site VPN lets you leverage remote access immediately after an emergency has been identified.
If, for example, an office is affected by a disaster, employees do not have to stop all production until things are back up and running. They can each be granted access to the site-to-site VPN, connect to the resources at headquarters, and work from home. With a VPN, you can minimize downtime and reduce the financial effects of a disaster.
Flexible Deployment : With a VPN, you have the power to deploy a new solution across a broad network of devices at various physical locations. You can choose which sites to provide the new solution to first, second, and so forth. This could give you the flexibility to offer training or support in controllable phases instead of tackling it all at once and potentially overwhelming your IT team.
