Enterprise VPN remote access solutions have been the go-to choice for larger businesses seeking secure remote connectivity for years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a seismic shift in how and where many people work by boosting remote and hybrid working practices. Many businesses have not reverted to their pre-pandemic working practices even after restrictions ended. For many enterprises, VPNs struggled to cope with the unprecedented surge in demand, exposing their limitations in previously unseen ways.
The surge in remote work not only stressed VPN solutions but also inflated workloads for Enterprise IT teams. These teams, already grappling with the complexities of managing large-scale networks, found themselves dealing with VPN-related issues that diverted their attention from other tasks.
Challenges of Traditional VPN Solutions
VPN solutions are often unsuited for large remote workforces due to their inherent performance limitations when handling bandwidth-intensive applications and video conferencing solutions. As remote work has become the norm, employees need seamless access to these high-bandwidth resources and applications. However, VPNs frequently struggle to deliver consistent performance, resulting in user frustration and lost productivity.
The complexity of setting up and managing VPN solutions is also a burden on enterprise IT teams. VPNs require skilled professionals to configure and maintain, making them resource-intensive even for large enterprises with IT departments. The management overhead and the constant need for updates and troubleshooting are significant headaches.