What are the best VPN protocols? Comparison of tunneling protocols
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As a business owner (or the person who reports to the landlord), you may have concerns about work that keeps you up at night. Whether you do or not, data security and the type of VPN protocol used should be at the top of that list. Some companies have a greater need for data security than others. This can be easily seen by how they physically protect their devices. Do you have door access controls in your data locker for an audit trail or do you just have a key given to a select group of employees? Worried about the location of your data – is it in the cloud, on-premises, or both? Do you have a redundant plan? How do you protect your data when it is sent between your location and a remote office? (Remember, if I take my laptop home and access the system, I’m now a remote office.)
Taylored Systems understands that not all companies are the same and not all needs are the same. We pride ourselves on being the technology experts so you can sleep peacefully at night.
So what do you need to consider to help us decide the best VPN tunnel setup?
- Do others care about your data?
- Where do you need your data to access?
- Can you bargain access speed for cost?
- How capable are those who manage your data?
Data security has many components but today we will focus on data accessibility between sites. For secure access to data between sites, it is highly recommended that companies use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN is a virtual private and secure connection between a user or device on your network and another user or device on another network. For a VPN to work, you need to use a data transfer protocol. First, let’s move on to common protocols.
- PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol)
- VPN encryption: 128 bit
- VPN Security: Basic Encryption
- VPN speed: fast due to low encryption rate
- Stability: Very good and stable on most Wi-Fi networks
- Compatibility: Most operating systems for computers, tablets, and mobile devices come with PPTP
- L2TP/IPsec (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol over Internet Protocol Security)
- VPN encryption: 256 bit
- VPN Security: The highest level of encryption. This protocol encapsulates and checks the integrity of the data twice.
- VPN Speed: Requires more processing power due to 2x encapsulation
- Stability: stable on NAT-enabled devices
- Compatibility: Like PPTP, it is included in most hardware operating systems
- SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol)
- VPN Security: The highest level of encryption. SSTP relies on encryption, but AES is usually very strong
- VPN Speed: Speeds are fast and can bypass most firewalls
- Stability: This protocol is very stable and reliable.
- Compatibility: SSTP is mainly used in Windows environment only, but is available for Linux, RouterOS, and SEIL. Since it is a proprietary Microsoft protocol, it cannot be independently audited for backdoors.
- OpenVPN
- VPN encryption: 160-bit and 256-bit
- VPN Security: OpenVPN provides the highest level of encryption. OpenVPN authenticates data with digital certificates and is the most secure VPN protocol.
- VPN Speed: This protocol has the best performance. Speeds are fast and unaffected by high-latency connections or long-distance transfers. Is your network connection stable and providing the correct speeds?
- Stability: Most reliable and stable, even behind wireless routers, on untrusted networks and on Wi-Fi.
- Compatibility: OpenVPN is supported by most desktop, Android mobile and tablet operating systems.
Different businesses have different needs and applications. It is important that you work with a trusted advisor before making any changes to your data or access systems. Being informed makes you a better employer or manager. So, what does all this mean to you? What is the best VPN protocol?
- PPTP is the least secure. Although it was created by Microsoft, they do not use this protocol. Also, for any business concerned about Big Brother, the NSA has been able to compromise this protocol; Therefore, it is widely recommended to avoid this protocol. As easy as it is to set up and implement, it is a case of “too good to believe”.
- L2TP/IPsec is a good VPN solution for non-essential use; However, this protocol, like PPTP, has also been hacked. So access to your data by prying eyes may be inevitable. However, for a quick VPN setup without the need to install additional software, L2TP/IPsec remains useful, especially for mobile devices. Is this something you will do on your own or hire an expert? If you implemented yourself, this might be the right solution for you.
- Across many areas of the IT world, OpenVPN is easily the best all-in-one VPN solution. One of the downsides may be the need for third-party software on all platforms; However, the benefits make this recommendation easily preferable. It’s reliable, fast, and (most importantly) secure, although it usually needs a bit more setup than other protocols. Because of this additional VPN configuration, we highly recommend partnering with your IT provider to provide assistance.
- SSTP offers most of the advantages of OpenVPN; However, it is mostly limited to the Windows environment. This means that it is better integrated into the operating system, but is usually poorly supported by other VPN solutions.
With all this information you are now aware. You will have the knowledge and information to talk to your service provider about what might be a good fit for your business. Data is important. We don’t want to compromise on security for ease of use or costs. If you don’t feel you can do this on your own or if you would like to understand more about the capabilities of a VPN and how your company can benefit from them, please reach out to a Taylored Systems representative and we will be happy to assist.
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