VPNs, or virtual private networks, are used in a variety of different ways these days. Some use them for personal gains, like spoofing locations and securing connections, while others need them in order to be able to access important work-related files and sites. With how much of our day is spent connected to the internet, and how much sensitive information is sent around, it's vital that you keep your connections secure. If you aren't totally sure on the benefits, here's more about what a VPN is and why you should consider one.
Best Business VPNs
- Permiter 81: Our top pick
- Encrypt.me: Two user minimum
- ExpressVPN: Great for individuals
- NordVPN Teams: Most secure option
- VyprVPN: Fastest of all
- PureVPN: Reliable & affordable
With a VPN, your data is funneled through a provider's server and then gets to the destination, which helps mask what's going on and prevent people from being able to get into it. With some recent health concerns around the Coronavirus, more and more companies are allowing their employees to work from home which is great. One small issue that may arise in the process is that now you'll find yourself needing a VPN in order to access those documents and sites you would normally be able to easily get to from the office.
Once you establish a connection to your VPN all of your data becomes end-to-end encrypted, which means that outside eyes can not find their way into what you are doing. If by some off chance someone were able to access your machine or what you were doing, they would not be able to decode it and see what was actually going on.
Business VPNs come in a bunch of different varieties. Many of them can be scaled to fit the needs of your organization, which makes it a great choice for small and large businesses alike. What sets a true business VPN apart from some of the other options that are aimed more towards individuals is that they offer a dedicated IP address on a personal server, not one that is shared like on the consumer side. These are designed with securing the company in mind, instead of just securing a single user.
There are a bunch of providers that offer great business services, and picking the right one absolutely depends on the needs of your business. Some have device limits, others offer a wider variety of servers and locations, and pricing obviously ranges between the services. Unlike on the consumer side, there are no free VPN options for the business customers.
Don't worry, though. We've spent some time looking through all the different options out there, and have narrowed down a small list of the absolute best business VPNs that are available right now. Whether you are a business owner looking to roll out a VPN for your employees or an employee looking to ensure your data is kept safe while you work from home, be sure to check out the list below and get started today.
Perimeter 81
If you work at a small to medium size business, or happen to own one, Perimeter 81 is the best business VPN available. It's the one we recommend to look at for a variety of reasons, including the company's willingness to customize plans for your needs. There is, however, a five person minimum for teams, so if you don't have five employees this may not be the best for you.
Perimeter 81's services are all based in the cloud, which means scaling up and down is super simple and more affordable for your business. You don't need to worry about changing out hardware or anything like that, it's all handled on Permiter's side. There are three different plan options to pick from, with prices starting at just $10 per month for each team member.
Unlike some other business software, Perimeter 81 has a great app that's available on a variety of different devices to ensure maximum compatibility. You can use it on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iOS, and Android. Permiter 81 has tight security protocols and uses OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, and PPTP backed by WireGuard connector. There's an automatic Wi-Fi security and it offers a software-defined perimeter (SDP) that limits network access via a system control.
The two-factor authentication is both easy to use and reliable. It works well whether you are using a mobile device connected to a public network or your home PC connected to your network.
Should you run into any issues while using Perimeter 81 you'll be happy to hear that the company offers great support, and if you are unhappy with the purchase you have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Perimeter 81
See latest pricing at Perimeter 81
Perimeter 81 is the leader in business VPNs at the moment, and the option we recommend for most people. You will need to activate five users to get started, and from there the company can scale plans to your needs.
Encrypt.me
Much like Perimeter 81, Encrypt.me can be scaled based upon the needs of your business so that you're always paying for what you are actually using. What sets it apart, though, is that the minimum number of team members required for the business plan is only two, and the company allows you to use it on an unlimited number of devices for each account. This is great for those who are juggling between their phone, tablet, and PC during the day to get things done.
Encrypt.me is available on all the major platforms, including Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, and even Amazon. All you have to do is download the app and walk through the set up procedure, and you'll be good to go.
On the security front, Encrypt.me offers all the standard stuff you'd expect from a VPN along with a few other features that are nice to have. Some of them include private endpoints, an Auto-Secure feature, DNS protection, and more. This will make it easy for employees to remotely connect to the information they need while not in the office.
Something worth noting is that Encrypt.me does keep some session logs, which is something most other VPN providers are not doing these days. This isn't to say it's monitoring your activities or anything, just that it does have records of who is connecting, and when.
Pricing starts at $15.98 per month, and like we previously mentioned you do need two team members to get started with this. If you're looking for an option to try out in the short-term while your employees are working from home, this may be the way to go.
Encrypt.me
See latest pricing at Encrypt.me
With Encrypt.me you can get started with as little as two users and each of them can use an unlimited number of devices at once. The pricing is affordable and the feature-set is well rounded.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is our best VPN pick on the consumer side, and while the company doesn't offer a specific "business plan," that doesn't mean it can't be a great pick for some situations. If you're running a small business, or happen to be self-employed and want to protect yourself, ExpressVPN can do great things for you. It does have a maximum of five devices that can be connected to each account at one time, which is less than some other providers.
The ExpressVPN app works on all major platforms, including Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Fire TV, Chromebooks, Nook, Firefox, Chrome, and more. It's super easy to set up, and connecting to the VPN is as simple as clicking one button once you get started.
By default, ExpressVPN offers great encryption, split tunneling, and operates with a very clear no-logging policy. There are dedicated DNS servers available, and while you may pay a bit more than some other consumer VPN options to use ExpressVPN, it's worth every penny.
Right now, if you sign up for the 12-month plan you can save 49% on the purchase and score an extra three months of service at no cost to you. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee as well, so there's no risk in trying it out today.
ExpressVPN
See latest pricing at ExpressVPN
This is our top pick for anyone looking to get started with a VPN. It offers a great mix of speed, reliability, outstanding customer service, and affordability. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee, so give it a shot today.
NordVPN Teams
On the consumer side, NordVPN has always been a popular choice, and the company hopes to achieve the same on the business side with NordVPN Teams. Like other options, NordVPN Teams can be customized to meet your needs, though there is a minimum of five users to get started.
What sets NordVPN Teams apart from the rest is that it offers a double encryption, which is something that other companies are simply not offering. This means that if someone were to be able to get their hands on what you were doing, there's no possible chance that they could figure out what was actually taking place, and instead it would all just be a jumbled mess. In addition, Nord offers a kill switch that helps keep your sessions secure, even if your connection drops out for some reason.
NordVPN has a strict no-logging policy, and when you sign up for a business account you actually get a dedicated business VPN server. This is key because it offers a dedicated IP address for your team to connect to so they can access the sensitive documents that they need for work.
Pricing is done on a per-company basis, which means that you'll need to reach out to NordVPN via a support form to get started.
NordVPN Teams
Much like the consumer product, NordVPN Teams has a heavy focus on privacy and reliability. The apps are easy to use and the pricing is tailored to your company, so be sure to reach out for a quote today.
VyprVPN
If speed is what you are looking for in a business VPN, you'll want to look no further than VyprVPN. The company manages all of its own servers, and when you start to check out the performance of them you'll understand why that is important. In testing, we've noticed that using VyprVPN could actually provide better download speeds for some people than their standard connection could without using a VPN.
In terms of security features to match the speed, VyprVPN offers OpenVPN support, NAT Firewall, and its own Chameleon technology that helps add an extra layer of security to the mix. There is also 24/7 support in case you run into any issues while using the VPN, which is great since odds are most of your employees will be new to using a VPN.
The company doesn't give as much information publicly about its business VPN plans as some of the others, but there is a bit we do know. You can sign up for a Business or Business Cloud package, with prices starting at $299 or $349 for the year respectively. You'll need to reach out to VyprVPN customer support to get the exact details based on your business' needs, though the company does offer a free trial which is something you should definitely take advantage of.
VyprVPN
Of all the business VPN options out there, VyprVPN is the fastest. If your employees will need to download or upload large files, this may be the best option for you.
PureVPN
PureVPN offers both a consumer and business product, and does both of them quite well. On the business side PureVPN offers some extra features that you won't find on the consumer side, and its product is trusted and used by companies like Disney, Amazon, DHL, ABC, Microsoft, and more.
PureVPN has a global network of over 2,000 servers spread across 140 different countries, offers a dedicated IP for your teams, along with a dedicated server. This is all in addition to the normal encryption, no-logging, and IP whitelisting that you always get with the service. There's an easy-to-use Admin Control Panel so you can create, edit, and delete IPs, along with managing the permissions of the users on your team.
You can use it with all the popular devices, like Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Chrome, Fire TV Sticks, Raspberry Pi, Roku, and much more. Pricing starts at $8.45 per user each month for just the Teams access, and goes up to $9.99 if you add a dedicated IP address. If you want to go all-in with a dedicated server, pricing starts at $399 a month, and you need to contact PureVPN before you can sign up for that.
There's a lot to like about PureVPN, so it's worth giving them a try. The company offers a free 31-day money-back guarantee as well, so there's no real risk in getting started today.
PureVPN
PureVPN is so confident you'll like its service, that it offers a whole extra day on its money-back guarantee than others do. Jokes aside, it offers a ton of server options spread wide in different areas, and offers great customer support with affordable options for all business sizes.
Need a VPN for just yourself instead? We've rounded up the best VPNs and keep a running list of all the best VPN deals out there.
Do I need a VPN for my business?
There's no yes or no answer that fits for everyone here. What it comes down to is where your employees are working, and what kind of data they are accessing. If you have people working remotely, and they need access to your business documents and systems on the go, you should have them behind a VPN. This keeps you secure, and makes it so that they can't do something unsafe by accident.
It's a rather affordable way to beef up the security of your company. You don't need to invest in lots of expensive hardware and support. Most of the companies above have cloud-based systems which are easy to install and manage. It may not be something you thought of in the past, but as your company expands, and circumstances change, it may be time to make the investment and get a corporate VPN set up for your business.
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