Working from Home and Methods of VPN Connections to Companies

Virtual private networks or VPNs enable users to securely transfer data travelling through the public internet. The user can be an individual or a company that wishes to protect its data in a way that prevents its disclosure or modification.

Problem

Virtual private networks or VPNs enable users to securely transfer data travelling through the public internet. The user can be an individual or a company that wishes to protect its data in a way that prevents its disclosure or modification. VPN connections differ depending on whether it is necessary to connect two or more separate business locations (site-to-site VPN), create a connection between a work computer and the company (client-to-server VPN), or create a connection between a device owned by an individual and the company (SSL VPN). A VPN connection does not provide sufficient security protection. For complete protection, a company also needs a firewall to protect the network and an antivirus programme.

The firewall, managed by the IT department, enables new employees to be added to the network, assigns them rights within the scope of their job position and tasks, or deletes users from the system upon termination of employment. It is also possible with the firewall to check outgoing and incoming traffic, set filtering policies, protect the email server and move suspicious emails to quarantine, review detected threats during the current day, and create a backup of the firewall.

The antivirus programme extends the functions of the firewall, as it can check files during incoming and outgoing traffic and scan the computer or company device from which data is sent and where data is stored. Despite all security mechanisms, it is important that the company regularly educates its employees in the field of information security, compliance with business policy and company management, thereby preventing security incidents (e.g. an employee notifies their supervisor or the IT department upon receiving a suspicious email).

For risk management, companies have implemented the ISO standard. The latest ISO 31000 standard, with its principles and guidelines, is intended for risk management. The standard is suitable for any company regardless of its activity or size.

Its foundations are that every company or organisation exists with the aim of achieving objectives, that the achievement of objectives is influenced by internal and external factors, which causes uncertainty in achieving objectives.