A Fond Farewell to the VPN

While it’s often difficult to say goodbye to old relationships, there comes a day when you have to move on. That’s true not just for people. Technology changes too, and as much as we can become complacent with the status quo – for good or bad, change is usually for the better. Back in the day, the Virtual Private Network (VPN) was a boon when we wanted to work from home or had to collaborate on projects from the road. And it was a huge advance at the time because it provided a way for you to get access to ALL the files you needed, no matter where you were. But it’s time to move on.

As we look back on what we’re leaving behind, it’s important to remember the good times with the bad. Before we say goodbye, let’s take a look back at the benefits and drawbacks of our dear old friend, the VPN.The Good

• The VPN was awesome securing your data. It held your data and held it tight. The VPN was always great at securing your computer's Internet connection to ensure that all of the data you were sending and receiving was encrypted and secured from prying eyes.
• The VPN did not try to break the laws of data gravity. The VPN provided secure access to data that was in place behind the firewall. It did not require the shipping of hard drives to a cloud provider to be able to access files while remote or on mobile devices.
• The VPN loved sharing files. Employees that worked remotely needed access to any file in their organization that they had permission to access. It allowed remote and mobile employees to be just as productive as employees in the office.

The Bad

• The VPN liked picking fights. Accessing data from mobile devices offsite was a nightmare! After numerous attempts to access company data with the VPN, there was that sweet success when you finally connected. The VPN regularly thought it was hilarious to kick you off the network - always at THE WORST possible times!
• The VPN dragged its feet. When trying to access data, the VPN would slowly get the data and share it back with you. You could have more easily run back to the office, got the file and went back to your client meeting by the time the VPN gave you the data you needed.
• The VPN didn’t play well with others. When throwing different types of technologies into the mix and having numerous devices trying to access company data, the VPN’s performance was often lacking. It preferred for things to be simple, and today’s work environment is far from that.

Like a bittersweet romance that’s over once and for all, it’s good to recollect and then move on. And the good news is, another option is available, which will make it very easy to move on without regrets...

Egnyte’s file-sharing platform brings together all of the great advantages of the VPN and tackles the obstacles at the same time. Businesses can easily set file permissions to ensure the right people have the right access to their files. It doesn’t matter if a user is accessing the data from an office computer, at home on a laptop or at a client site from a tablet. The VPN is no longer needed. Users can now easily collaborate with colleagues by securely sharing and accessing files on any device, from any location and from any storage area - cloud or on-premise storage - without the headaches of our dear friend, the VPN. The future technology is here, and it’s time for companies to embrace the new way of sharing files and data.To that end: Goodbye, VPN.