Allowing remote & on-site employees to manually toggle a VPN connection can create critical security risks. With Always On VPN, if a secured connection to the gateway is lost, your hybrid-working users will simply be disconnected from the internet until the issue is solved. Always On VPN, always secure.
OVERVIEW
What is Always On VPN?
First introduced by Microsoft, Always On VPN ensures that an active VPN profile remains automatically connected to the network and stays connected despite possible VPN connection triggers.
NordLayer’s Always On VPN operates in an even broader spectrum, giving your IT team complete control. All features and policies like DNS filtering, DPI, Custom DNS, and others will be obligatory for the end users if they want to connect to the internet. Always On VPN also ensures that if the secured internet connection is lost, the user will be automatically disconnected from the network until the VPN connectivity is restored.
It means that every employee (without exception) who uses the internet will do so only with a VPN connection, regardless of where around the world they currently are. No VPN — no internet.
OPERATION
How does Always On VPN work?
Your employees can enable and disable Always On VPN feature on the NordLayer application settings as long as the admin doesn’t activate it. Thus, if the IT administrator wants to ensure everyone in the organization has Always On VPN enforced, end users won’t be able to disable it once configured centrally via Control Panel.
BENEFITS
Explore the benefits of using NordLayer's Always On VPN
One-click implementation
Activating the feature is quick and managing it is a breeze. With just a few clicks in the control panel, every endpoint gets the component, and users may not even notice. If needed, your organization administrator can also disable the feature in no time. Additionally, you will soon be able to tailor this component for specific groups, like remote workers who frequently travel and often use public Wi-Fi.
Secure corporate network
The hybrid work era introduces new challenges, particularly for IT departments. Safeguarding the company's network while teams operate from various locations all over the world can be really tough. However, Always On VPN will help you orchestrate both office and remote employees, ensuring secure internet access for each user.
No more unencrypted internet connection
A single unprotected user can become a potential weak link in the company’s network security chain. With the help of Always On VPN feature, you will maintain one common secure user tunnel to prevent potential data leaks and other cyber risks.
Minimize cyber risks when using public Wi-Fi
Since connecting to public Wi-Fi at hotels, cafes, or other public spaces is nearly unavoidable these days, it poses a lot of security risks. Session hijackers prey on unsecured connections, and since we're human after all, we may forget to enable our VPN before connecting. Honest mistake. However, Always On VPN helps mitigate man-in-the-middle attacks by making VPN mandatory to connect to the internet.
USE-CASES
How can you use Always On VPN?
Remote & hybrid employee accessibility
Always On VPN provides secure remote access to your employees, whether they're working from the office, home or anywhere in the world. It ensures safe access to company resources and confidential information while increasing your data protection level, even when using public Wi-Fi.
Hassle-free mandatory use
With Always On VPN, your employees can securely access the internet without worrying whether the VPN is on or off, as it will always be enforced, allowing them to focus on their tasks uninterrupted. Your IT admins retain full control over the tool, ensuring a smooth experience for all.
Achieving compliance
Always On VPN can help you meet different compliance requirements, particularly for businesses handling sensitive data in heavily regulated sectors like healthcare or finance. Here, rigorous cybersecurity and data management regulations are essential.
GETTING STARTED
How to set up Always On VPN?
With NordLayer, setting up Always On VPN is user-friendly and super simple.
Sign in & navigate to the Control Panel's settings
Switch the toggle ON to activate Always On VPN
Select the relevant teams
FIND OUT MORE FEATURES
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Additional info
Frequently asked questions
NordLayer’s Always On VPN feature is available for Windows, macOS (side-load only), and Linux (coming soon) operating systems. The accessibility for Android or iOS mobile applications is yet to come.
Some minor inconveniences might appear while connecting to hotel or cafe Wi-fi as it requires extra steps to deal with captive portals. Nevertheless, the feature will allow the user to get direct access to the internet for a short period of 3 minutes. Implemented additional security logic won't let users abuse this temporary access.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
Introduction
As an expert in the field, I have extensive knowledge and experience in the concepts related to this article. I will provide you with information on all the concepts mentioned in the article, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
Concepts Explained
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Always On VPN: Always On VPN is a feature that ensures a continuous and secure connection to a virtual private network (VPN) even when there are triggers that might disrupt the connection. It was first introduced by Microsoft and has been expanded by NordLayer to provide complete control to IT teams. With Always On VPN, all features and policies, such as DNS filtering, DPI, and Custom DNS, are obligatory for end users to connect to the internet. If the secured internet connection is lost, the user will be automatically disconnected from the network until the VPN connectivity is restored. [[23]]
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One-click implementation: Activating the Always On VPN feature is quick and easy. With just a few clicks in the control panel, every endpoint can have the component installed. Additionally, the feature can be disabled by the organization administrator if needed. In the future, it will be possible to customize this component for specific groups, such as remote workers who frequently travel and use public Wi-Fi. [[24]]
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Secure corporate network: Always On VPN helps safeguard the company's network in the hybrid work era. It allows IT departments to orchestrate both office and remote employees, ensuring secure internet access for each user. By maintaining a common secure user tunnel, potential data leaks and other cyber risks are minimized. [[25]]
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No more unencrypted internet connection: Always On VPN ensures that every employee, without exception, uses the internet only with a VPN connection. This eliminates the risk of having unprotected users becoming potential weak links in the company's network security chain. By making VPN mandatory to connect to the internet, potential data leaks and cyber risks are prevented. [[26]]
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Minimize cyber risks when using public Wi-Fi: Connecting to public Wi-Fi poses security risks, as session hijackers can exploit unsecured connections. Always On VPN mitigates these risks by making VPN mandatory for internet access. This ensures that employees do not forget to enable their VPN before connecting to public Wi-Fi, reducing the chances of falling victim to man-in-the-middle attacks. [[27]]
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Remote & hybrid employee accessibility: Always On VPN provides secure remote access to employees, whether they are working from the office, home, or anywhere in the world. It ensures safe access to company resources and confidential information, even when using public Wi-Fi. This increases the data protection level for remote and hybrid employees. [[28]]
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Hassle-free mandatory use: With Always On VPN, employees can securely access the internet without worrying about whether the VPN is on or off. The feature is always enforced, allowing employees to focus on their tasks uninterrupted. IT administrators retain full control over the tool, ensuring a smooth experience for all users. [[29]]
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Achieving compliance: Always On VPN can help businesses meet compliance requirements, especially in heavily regulated sectors like healthcare or finance. By enforcing rigorous cybersecurity and data management regulations, businesses can ensure the security and privacy of sensitive data. [[30]]
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Setting up Always On VPN: Setting up Always On VPN with NordLayer is user-friendly and straightforward. Users can sign in and navigate to the Control Panel's settings, switch the toggle on to activate Always On VPN, and select the relevant teams. [[31]]
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NordLayer's cybersecurity solutions: NordLayer offers a range of cybersecurity solutions, including Always On VPN, to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. They provide subscription plans that are easy to get started with, simple to integrate, and flexible to scale as your business grows. [[32]]
Please note that the information provided above is based on the concepts mentioned in this article. If you have any specific questions or need further clarification on any of these concepts, feel free to ask!
