Smaller companies fail to appreciate managed VPN benefits

Some managed VPN providers are struggling to explain the service to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it has been suggested.

Despite having existed for around a decade, unmanaged and managed VPN solutions still have significantly higher subscription rates at large companies, reports TechNewsWorld.

Many SME decision-makers apparently worry that they will not be able to deploy the network technology correctly or set aside enough time to train staff in its use.

However, we are at the forefront of industry efforts to extol the virtues of a managed VPN.

At Managed Comms, we want to help SMEs save time and money in this period of economic uncertainty.

Our telecoms experts can talk business owners through the benefits of a managed VPN and, most importantly, help them understand the huge impact it will have on their balance sheets.

All advice is completely free and our UK-based helpdesk is waiting to take your call.

We decided to take this proactive approach for one simple reason – too many companies do not understand managed VPN.

Jason Leung, senior product line manager for small and medium-sized business security at technology provider NetGear, seems to share this point of view.

“The industry needs to do a lot of evangelising about the benefits of VPN,” he explained. “Things like client endpoint enforcement, patching control, etc.

“Small businesses always lag behind by several years the adoption of technology.”

A VPN service offers a secure data exchange between two locations using an encrypted connection.

What this means in practice is that would-be hackers find it much more difficult to intercept emails, documents and files sent over this type of network.

“VPNs are a way to build a secure channel between your usually mobile location and the corporate office,” Mr Leung concluded.

But devices may lack the proven reliability of a hardware VPN

The development of a USB stick that allows secure access to business bank accounts from multiple machines has got observers looking towards virtualising VPN connections.

Technology specialist IronKey’s new hardware has been designed to give companies flexible access to corporate bank accounts.

However, a number of analysts are already looking to use the technology for VPN access, something that has for some time been described as the next generation of VPNs.

Whatever the future brings, Managed Comms will remain at the cutting edge of the UK VPN industry to ensure its customers always benefit from the very latest technological innovations.

It may be true that USB sticks could have practical advantages for a company, not least the fact that employees would be able to more readily access networks from home.

In theory, the USB stick would make VPN connections possible from any computer without the need for additional drivers or supporting software.

Such a development would not, of course, be without problems.

Concerns have already been raised about the potential for hackers to infiltrate these fledgling VPN connections.

Experts are currently testing several ways to protect a virtualised VPN connection from criminals, although most companies will no doubt wait until they receive assurances that the system is watertight.

For now at least, switching to USB sticks remains a distant prospect and the best way to keep your VPN connections secure and reliable is with a professionally managed package from a proven operator like Managed Comms.

Technology correspondent explains virtual private networks

The subject of UK VPN has moved centre stage after being discussed in a top-selling newspaper.

A virtual private network is described in the Los Angeles Times as a tunnel permitting data to be transferred online without detection until a destination server is reached.

That might not sound like the most exciting technology but research by Managed Comms – a Nottingham-based provider of UK VPN solutions – confirms that it has many interesting applications and can help businesses save money.

Indeed, technology correspondent David Colker noted that they are employed by users for a variety of reasons.

“Businesses use VPNs to allow far-flung employees to access secure company computers as if they were in the same building,” he said.

“Dissidents use them to get around electronic firewalls erected by censors. For international TV watchers, a VPN can fool a network into thinking a computer is located inside an allowed area.”

In terms of business applications, a UK VPN is a highly effective remote conferencing solution.

The service provided by Managed Comms has been specifically designed to handle demanding functions like voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and video calls.

Managed Comms’ low latency allows for seamless conference calls, while reduced contention means that traffic does not overwhelm the network at peak times.

Finally, this is one UK VPN that will not let down customers at the critical moment because it comes with an industry-leading Quality of Service that prioritises VoIP and video.