A good VPN service is a crucial consideration for any modern business which has a flexible and mobile workforce, in terms of maintaining high levels of privacy and security. When it comes to precious business data, there’s clearly a vital need to keep the company network and internet connection secure, and to allow for secure remote access facilities, too.
This is especially true in the world of small businesses, which usually have limited resources to devote to managing security. Fortunately, there are business VPN services out there which are a breeze to set up and manage, plus they can be scaled to fit the organisation’s needs as it grows.
How to choose the best VPN service for business
Obviously, protecting sensitive business data is the main priority here, so you need a VPN with the beefiest levels of security. Since you’ll be handling multiple accounts at once, for multiple staff members, quality management software or a dedicated account manager are important considerations.
Having access to plenty of server locations is always a good thing, particularly when it comes to a mobile workforce, and nippy performance is handy for transferring large files or perhaps partaking of HD videoconferencing. Another important factor is the number of connections available and supported devices, which must suit the size of your firm and the hardware your employees use.
Now that we’ve outlined the basics of what we’re looking for, read on to discover our top five picks for the best business VPN service.
A wide range of server locations helps to ensure a reliable and speedy connection from this Hong Kong-based VPN provider. PureVPN is in charge of its own network and it shows – in testing, this service produced an impressive 80% increase in download speeds compared to our normal rates. You get a dedicated management portal and an account manager, plus multi-logins with one master account are available for the Pro plan.
PureVPN offers a good range of security protocols: OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, SSTP, and IKEv2 with 256-bit military-grade encryption. One flaw, however, is the Secure DNS feature which is supposed to prevent DNS leaks, but didn’t work for us – although your mileage may vary. There’s also a stealth browsing mode on offer here, and 24/7 priority business support.
A three-day free trial offers an opportunity to test out the service. Also, you can create your own custom plan where you can tailor the number of accounts required along with other specifications. This is clearly the best choice as the standard plan only works in six countries. The packages available are:
- Standard: $49 monthly or $24 a month billed annually
- Enhanced: $99 monthly or $43 a month billed annually
- Pro: $179 monthly or $84 a month billed annually
- Custom plan
Hotspot Shield delivers a consistently fast service with competitive pricing for consumers, and its business offering is no different. In performance terms, our tests showed a significant increase in download speeds with a slight increase in upload speeds compared to our normal rates, and barely any change in latency.
On the downside, the number of server locations is rather low, while the service doesn’t offer any management software so you only have native apps at your disposal.
The privacy policy is favourable, not keeping any logs, and on the security front you get all the usual protocols. Additional features include private browsing and virtual locations, among others. There’s dedicated customer support in case you run into any hiccups.
You can choose from three monthly-based pricing plans, the difference being the number of supported devices. The plans are quite affordable with the lower-end plan being a laudably cheap option for small businesses. The packages available are:
SaferVPN offers a great business VPN experience for users who work across multiple devices and switch from one to another frequently. It has well-designed clients for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, and while there’s no management program, a dedicated account manager and a Chrome extension are also part of the package.
While the server coverage may be slightly limited, it didn’t bother us as we got above-average speeds in our performance tests. The service upholds a no-logging policy, but it does record a good deal of session data (more than most VPNs). SaferVPN supports IKEv2, OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP security protocols, and business clients enjoy priority support around the clock.
SaferVPN has a 7-day trial and three business plans to choose from, depending on the number of users needed – including a custom plan if required. The packages available are:
- 10 users - $74.24 monthly or $55 a month billed annually
- 20 users - $141.94 monthly or $105.14 a month billed annually
- Custom plan
KeepSolid’s main draw is its cheap pricing, not to mention the VPN’s excellent server coverage with plenty of locations to suit any firm’s needs. Performance is above-average, too, with download speeds which were only slightly reduced compared to our normal rates. It doesn’t offer a dedicated management client, but there are apps available for the majority of platforms, and instructions are provided for others. Again, with the business plans, you benefit from 24/7 priority customer support.
The service uses military-grade encryption with all the usual security protocols. On top of that, extra features include various ‘extensions’ you can pay for such as having your own personal VPN server (with no other users on it).
There are only two price plans: Family supports 5 accounts and 25 active devices, whereas Team supports 20 accounts and 100 active devices. Also, you can email KeepSolid to discuss custom options if you want more accounts/devices. The packages available are:
- Family: $19.99 monthly or $8.33 a month billed annually
- Team: $79.99 monthly or $33.33 a month billed annually
The service provides you with easy-to-use and intuitive software for overall account management, as well as apps for all major platforms. In addition to OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP/IPsec protocols, VyprVPN offers additional security features like a NAT Firewall and its own Chameleon technology for preventing deep packet inspection (DPI), VPN blocking and throttling. 24/7 live chat support is in place for when you need assistance.
Interestingly, there are no prices listed on the website regarding the business service. Instead, you have to apply for a free trial or contact support, which we did. After a couple of hours they emailed us the pricing plans – there are two of them, pitched pretty closely together. The packages available are:
Ivacy VPN is a good option too.
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