What Is a VPN and Do You Actually Need One for Remote Working?

Short answer: A VPN creates a secure, encrypted connection between a remote device and your business network, so staff working from home or on the road can access files and systems safely. If anyone in your business regularly works remotely and touches sensitive data, yes, you likely need one.

What a VPN actually does

It encrypts the connection between a device and your network, so data travelling over public or home Wi-Fi can’t easily be intercepted, and remote staff can access internal systems as if they were in the office.

When a VPN genuinely matters

If staff regularly work from home, access client data remotely, or connect from public Wi-Fi such as cafes or client sites, a VPN meaningfully reduces the risk of that connection being compromised.

When you might not need one

If your business runs entirely on cloud services with their own built-in security, such as Microsoft 365, and nobody needs direct access to an internal network, a VPN may add complexity without much benefit.

Common VPN mistakes small businesses make

Setting one up once and never reviewing who has access, using shared logins instead of individual ones, and leaving it disabled by default so staff skip it when it’s inconvenient.

Setting one up properly

A properly configured VPN, with individual logins and multi-factor authentication, is straightforward to set up and maintain once it’s done right the first time.