Home-office was a time to time preferred way of working and perceived as a benefit of companies for the ones that are more flexible and focused on work-life balance for their employees. Yes, this was the case until March 2020.
Because of COVID-19, the question of how to connect my organization’s network from home became more prevalent than ever. Lockdowns compelled many white-collar employees to stick with their home Wi-Fi connection to reach their business documents, emails, and local files where stored in a corporate server.
The most frequent case observed that a company has dedicated servers and demands from its employee to connect back to the office’s networks. In this case, your first option is to use a VPN connection. Virtual Private Network has been in the market for many years however, with the prevalence of Internet use, penetration of global companies across the world, and the individual needs of millions of people have been evolved its features and audience over time.
Why VPNs are preferred when working out of office?
Let us explain the rationale of VPNs. A VPN is a secure and encrypted tunnel provided to you via special software to enable safe Internet traffic. This technology makes it possible to connect special local networks or websites accessible from another part of the world while you are sitting on your couch.
This applies to your company’s server network as well. Companies prefer using VPN to grant access to their employees for business data and files. Since this Virtual Private Network is only provided to you, the data transferred from this network becomes only visible to you and cannot be monitored by other parties.
A VPN offers an Internet connection similar to a cable connection between a different computer and the network at your workplace. It’s like bringing a cable channel from your office to your home via a point-to-point secure connection.
How to Use VPN to connect my organization’s network?
Firstly, ask your IT personnel which VPN client software is used by your company’s firewall. Several free VPNs can be easily downloaded from their website. To provide you guidance, in this VPN list, you can review the details of many well-known VPN providers and choose the best VPN suitable for your company requirements.
Install the software you downloaded.
After you should enter your organization’s IP address which will be given to you by IT personnel generally. Without this address, VPN software cannot create the mentioned virtual personal tunnel to your company’s server.
Finally, after this step, you should only enter your username and password unique to your company.
Once you completed these steps and connect to the network, you can use all network drivers, installed programs, or find your stored files just like your working from the PC on your office desk.
There are also other ways to establish a remote connection to your organization.
Remote Desktop Connection
This method is a relatively practical way to quickly connect your company network when you are out of the office. If your company has the option of Remote Desktop Server, you can create a connection back to your office by using any computer and access to your computer at the office and utilize a personalized desktop at your home.
This is a quick and practical solution that does not require investment in another complex software of VPN.
How to connect my organization’s network by using Remote Desktop?
The first step is to open your Remote Desktop Connection feature at your PC.
Again, you should know the public IP address of your company and connect to this network.
Log in with your username and password, and Voila! You are simply using the desktop of your office computer.
Third-Party Software
Slack
There are several tools multiplied in the market during the pandemic, and one of the most popular ones is the Slack.
It is a messaging platform that has a very user-friendly interface. You have the options of remote collaboration and team communication channels in this way, managing different teams of employees become feasible. This software provides easy-to-use tools within the program for sharing ideas, commenting on views of your teammates, sharing files, and big news, it also has apps for iOS and Android.
Cisco WebEx Teams
WebEx Teams is a similar platform that provides video meetings, group messaging, file transfer for managing employees and business while working remotely. Since Cisco is the brand preferred by enterprises mainly for their network hardware, VOIP service, telecom equipment, and several IT products and services, its WebEx Teams another tool used for remote working.
Closing thoughts…
However, VPN is the most secure way to connect a network that includes confidential information since its fundamental function is creating an extra secure layer of protection to an ordinary network. Obtaining a VPN from a trusted provider can be regarded as the safest standard of remote working. And at the same time, providing the highest security in the sector, satisfy company owners’ requirements and enable them to give a sigh of relief.