By PC Madness ·
The short answer
A free or consumer VPN is built to protect one person's browsing. A business VPN is built to connect staff to the business's own systems and let the business decide who gets in. They solve different problems, so the first question isn't which VPN to buy. It's whether your business needs one at all.
Plenty of small businesses that run everything in the cloud don't need a VPN for day-to-day access. Businesses with a server or software in the office, or staff who work from home and on the road, usually do. This article explains what each type does, where a consumer VPN falls short for a business, and how to tell which group you're in.
What a VPN actually does
A VPN (virtual private network) creates an encrypted connection between a device and a VPN server. Anyone watching the local network, such as someone else on the same café Wi-Fi, sees that the device is connected to the VPN but can't read what's being sent through it.
What happens at the other end depends on the type of VPN. A consumer VPN sends your traffic out to the internet from the provider's servers, so websites see the provider's address instead of yours. A business VPN connects the device to the business's own resources, such as an office file server, and to the business's rules about who can reach them.
A VPN does not stop phishing emails, malware or someone logging in with a stolen password. It protects the connection, not the person or the device using it.
What a free or consumer VPN is good for
Consumer VPNs are designed for individuals. They're useful for adding privacy on a network you don't trust and for appearing to connect from somewhere else. For personal use that can be worthwhile.
Most websites and cloud apps already encrypt their traffic (the padlock in the address bar), so public Wi-Fi is less risky than it once was. A VPN still adds protection on a network you don't control, and it hides which sites you're visiting from that network.
Free VPNs need to cover their costs somehow, and some do it with advertising, usage limits or by collecting data about what you do. If you use one, read its privacy policy, and check the terms, because some consumer plans are for personal use only.
Where a consumer VPN falls short for a business
The issue isn't that consumer VPNs are unsafe. It's that they're built for one person, with no business control.
- It doesn't reach your systems. A consumer VPN connects staff to the internet, not to your office server, accounting software or internal apps.
- No central management. Each person signs up and runs it themselves. The business can't see who is using it, set rules or switch it off.
- No clean offboarding. When someone leaves, there's nothing for the business to remove, because the business never controlled the account.
- Your data goes through someone else's servers. All browsing passes through a provider the business hasn't vetted and has no agreement with.
- It can hide problems. Traffic from a personal VPN bypasses any filtering the business has in place, so malicious sites the business would normally block may get through.
What a business VPN adds
A business VPN is managed by, or for, the business. Staff connect with their work account, and the business controls the rest.
- Access to company resources. Staff can reach the office server, shared drives or internal apps securely from home, a second site or on the road.
- Access control. The business decides who can connect and what each person can reach, and can remove access in one place when someone leaves.
- Malicious site blocking. Business VPN services can block known malicious sites for everyone who connects, wherever they're working.
- Fits with the rest of your security. Access can be tied to work accounts protected by multi-factor authentication, so a stolen password alone isn't enough to connect.
Do you need a VPN at all?
Many businesses don't need a VPN to give staff access, because there's nothing in the office to connect to.
| You may not need one if | A business VPN is usually the right call if |
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If several of those "may not need one" conditions apply to you, protecting the accounts and devices matters more than the connection. A business VPN can still add value for site blocking and for staff who regularly use untrusted networks, but it's a choice rather than a necessity.
One thing to avoid whatever you decide: opening remote desktop or a file server directly to the internet so staff can reach it from home. Exposed remote access is a common way for attackers to get into a business, and a properly managed VPN or similar secure access is the safer route.
A fair comparison
A free or consumer VPN is fine for a sole trader who wants extra privacy on public Wi-Fi and has nothing in the office to connect to, as long as they've checked the provider's privacy policy and terms.
Once there are staff, shared business data or systems in the office, a consumer VPN doesn't do the job. It gives each person privacy but gives the business no control, and it can't connect anyone to the business's own systems. That's what a business VPN is for. If logins are your bigger worry, our article on password managers vs browser-saved passwords covers the other half of securing remote access.
How PC Madness can help
PC Madness provides a business VPN that gives staff an encrypted connection to the resources they need, controls access to them and blocks malicious sites, alongside company-wide password policies, as part of our business VPN and password management service. It sits within our managed IT services for Perth businesses, run from our Midland HQ.
Not sure whether you need a VPN at all? Send us a message to book a free, obligation-free IT security audit. We'll look at where your systems live and how your team works, and tell you honestly whether a VPN is worth it for you.
