Types of Remote Access Solutions
The wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 saw millions of employees worldwide stuck working from home. Many companies staggered to implement remote policies and permit hybrid work models to sustain their business.
However, employees working from home also created a significant cause for concern as their remote activity paved the way for increased security loopholes in the organization’s network. Even IT professionals who primarily deliver their service from the corporate office occasionally have to address specific issues remotely.
Hence the need to implement remote access solutions for safe work from any location. In 2022, Statista says 59% of respondents indicated that their workers were actively working remotely using the virtual private network (VPN) to access resources.
What are Remote Access Solutions?
Remote access solutions are systems that make network and computer systems accessible from any location and at any time without unauthorized interference.
Employees can use this technology to work from their preferred location while still accessing corporate office resources or networks. Remote access control applies to virtual private networks (VPNs), local area networks (LAN), and wide area networks (WANs) to make systems and data accessible remotely.
Why Should I Consider Remote Access Solutions?
Cybersecurity has become highly essential for any business that wants to remain relevant in their different industry. Forbes says that 66% of companies experienced major cyberattacks within 12 months — your company could also be on this list!
The security of your network is very critical to a business, whether you are an employer or a remote employee. Deploying remote access solutions secures connections to resources and reduces the risks of data loss or theft and any malicious activity.
Types of Remote Access Solutions
1. Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Virtual private networks are an essential security tool that helps to prevent external interference on your private network. With VPNs, your traffics are encrypted, and your identity is undisclosed to third parties, making it difficult for any event of data theft or unauthorized access to your company resources.
To use a VPN app to hide your IP address and encrypt your data for optimal security, here’s how it works: check NordLayer remote access VPN and click on “Get secure”! A secure tunnel will be created between your network and your remote computer. As an employee, you’ll be to connected to your office files and systems from the comfort of your home.
Small and medium businesses of different types with various workforce levels that constantly need to deal with a wide array of systems and files on the corporate network will find VPNs an essential option.
However, when choosing your preferred VPN solution, consider potentially known security issues around the VPN protocols. Also, check if they support MFA and other strong authentication controls, what security logs and access you will be able to configure and review, and if they would meet your expectations on performance. VPN services with good speed will support your business performance. Server location is another essential factor.
Usually, you’ll find reasonable VPN solutions with several lists of servers located in different countries around the globe that are supported when making your choice. Price and discount offerings are also important. The best VPN service providers charge a fortune for top-notch services.
2. Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS helps build a secure connection between your PC and corporate office computer. It is a software delivery and licensing model that allows users to access resources through the internet.
SaaS is recognized as a cloud-computing feature along with integration platform as a service (iPaaS), mobile backend as a service (MBaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), data center as a service (DCaaS), desktop as a service (DaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), managed software as a service (MSaaS), and information technology management as a service (ITMaaS).
Implementing SaaS is relatively easy, is also not difficult to debug and update, and is cost-effective. Users do not have to incur lots of charges since they only have to pay for the service as they go instead of acquiring multiple software licenses for different computer systems.
SaaS users do not have to update any software or do any particular installation. Instead, they can log in to connect to the service through the internet or web browser.
3. Common Remote Service Ports
Standard remote services can offer remote access to a computer through widely used services and protocols integrated into the operating system. These services include SSH, VNC, or RDP.
Remote services exposed directly to random internet users are highly vulnerable to attacks. Hence, they need proper configuration to make them effectively secure. You could also harness VPN solutions instead of carrying this risk. VPN features activated from your office router will help your remote staff access company resources without fear of unauthorized access.
However, if you need to set up remote access services, you must check how to configure multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA is an electronic authentication method involving a user having access to an application or website after providing considerable evidence to an authentication system.
In addition to setting up remote access, you’ll need to check how to configure audit and security events. Find out if the software supports strong encryption and check if the vendor patches the software. However, this remote working option is not advisable for organizations with no IT-inclined staff.
