Whenever a business decides to include a VPN into their security and accessibility solutions, it faces one pivotal question: to outsource it or get it built in-house? Now, this can be pretty far fetched for anyone who is not so tech-savvy, so we will get to answer this question later on and for now, just get a bit of an understanding as to what a business VPN is and how it works.

What is a business VPN and how does it work?

Generally, a business VPN (virtual private network) service has the same basic functions as a personal VPN but provides more business-appropriate vpn benefits.

But to put into simple terms, a VPN is a tunnel through which your data is encrypted and therefore unreachable to third parties (internet service providers, hackers, governments). Private users and businesses rely on VPNs for secure and private internet connections, accessibility to geo-restricted content, and various databases.

With the expansion of digitized information, cybersecurity tools are becoming a business 101, as sensitive data is becoming more irreplaceable than any other physical object. So business-oriented security tools tend to have a vast majority of personalized features to fit a company’s needs. For example, these are business VPN front-runners and this is what they offer:

NordVPN Teams — giving businesses advanced digital protection with dedicated company gateways and 24/7 support.

PureVPN for business — offering IP whitelisting and flexible personalization.

VyprVPN for business — supplying companies with a dedicated account managers and an additional layer of security — NAT firewall.

These are also the main differences between personal and business VPNs, as the latter often offers dedicated IP addresses or gateways, dedicated account managers, internal networks and flexible control panels — which all contributes to day-to-day task accomplishment.

To outsource or not to outsource?

When it comes to a VPN, business owners have two choices — to outsource a VPN or to get it built in-house.

Outsourcing a VPN — means to purchase an already made and ready-to-use VPN service with a default interface and offered features.

Built in-house VPN — means to have a VPN personally designed and built for your business needs; this is usually done by a company’s IT department or external employees. Often, the benefit of a built-in VPN is personalized features and security settings, although this comes at a price of self-maintenance, set-up, and upgrade.

Which VPN option to choose is completely up to the business, although in-house VPNs are usually the product of large corporate organizations with the manpower to create, build, and maintain such software. I’m not saying that small businesses aren’t capable of having such a VPN, but these three arguments should settle things into place:

COST

Cost is often the circumstance of any business decisions. To come out on top with enough earnings to profit is usually the main goal, so before committing to built-in software, calculations must be done.

As mentioned before, built-in VPNs are usually chosen by corporate companies with dedicated teams; this is because hiring external IT specialist is a costly-affair. Also creating a VPN with multiple servers and high speed is not as easy as it might seem.

Whereas most VPN providers have years of experience and usually fail-proof products to offer. An outsourced VPN is definitely a cheaper option because of market competition, personalized prices deals, and the fact that it’s often a cloud-based service, meaning all software can be installed remotely. Also, the designs and interfaces are designed by leading tech specialist meaning the product is often rich in quality and performance.

Just to get an idea, these are the price ranges of outsourced business VPNs:

NordVPN Teams — personalized prices upon registration

PureVPN — dedicated servers for teams from $399/per month

VyprVPN — dedicated servers for teams from $349/per year

MAINTENANCE

Maintenance is another important thing to keep in mind when deciding whether to outsource a VPN or have it built in-house, as software updates and the general account is often needed.

Have your VPN built-in means that any maintenance work will cost you extra time and money. Unless you have full-time working IT specialist, extra help will have to wait meaning security dangers and slower workflow.

On the other hand, an outsourced VPN usually offers 24-hour dedicated support that can assist you immediately and solve any occurring issues. Also, software updates are done when needed without the extra charge, and the bill usually comes once a month at a fixed price, meaning all maintenance work and support is included in the original price. Also, if a business is dissatisfied with the service, it can easily cancel the subscription (depending on the purchased plan) and choose another provider.

OFFERED FEATURES

Offered VPN features also determine price and maintenance altogether. While built-in VPNs can offer extra personalized features — this often comes with special pricing.

Of course, outsourced VPNs also offer different pricing tears, but you can always easily upgrade and downgrade. As for features, experienced VPN providers often try to one-up each other, ultimately offering clients top-notch technology features.

Although built in-house VPNs offer completely open possibilities when it comes to personalization, this often presents with the final price. But if your business is in need of a precise tool or setting, now that most VPN providers are flexible with their offers and plans. Don’t hesitate to contact with inquiries and see what they can offer you, as business services are usually far more flexible compared to personal.

Bottom line

The bottom line is that, while inhouse VPNs offer more room for adjustments, it’s usually a smarter choice for bigger companies with the right resources. When we are talking about SMB’s (small, medium-sized businesses), it makes a lot more sense to invest in an outsourced VPN service that is much more cost and time-efficient.

When looking at the big picture, a lower price, easier maintenance work and top market features are all things that small to medium-sized businesses should look for in a VPN and have in mind when thinking about an inhouse virtual private network.