Your network is one of your most valuable assets, as is made evident by how much you depend on access to crucial resources and applications. On the other hand, managing your network can be an immense pain, especially if you’re continuously connecting new hardware components and workstations. Thankfully, there’s an easier way to handle the deployment of your business’s critical infrastructure.
We’re talking, of course, about network virtualization; the act of virtualizing your physical network components and managing them through an online interface. By using a network, virtualizing it, and then migrating your data to the cloud, you make it exponentially easier to access and deploy important data and applications, improving operations considerably. Doing this provides your business with a great opportunity to consolidate your network components and connect all of your workstations to the infrastructure without the painful cabling process. Furthermore, a virtual network provides the following benefits:
- Mobility: Most notable is the fact that virtual networks allow business owners and their employees to access data from anywhere with an Internet connection. This is particularly helpful while out of the office. If you’re at a trade show or on a business trip, you can access data while on the road. Also, if you have a team of remote employees, they can access files that are critical to your company’s success.
- Flexibility: Playing off of mobility, adding new network users can be difficult, especially when cabling is involved. Instead of physically being connected to a network, anyone with an Internet connection and proper credentials can simply access the network online. This makes adding new users and connecting new workstations to your company’s network much easier.
The Primary Issue is Security
Despite the great benefits of using a virtual network, the biggest issue that faces them is by far security. Accessing your business’s sensitive data through a local wireless signal might seem like a great idea, but there’s no telling what could be lurking just below the surface of a network’s traffic. With public Internet connections, anyone could intercept data while it’s in transit. If hackers can grab your data this way, then what’s the point of having a virtual network that allows you to work wherever you want?
A virtual private network, or a VPN, is designed to protect your business’s sensitive data in these circumstances where you don’t have an ideal Internet connection. VPNs encrypt data before it’s transferred from point A to point B, and then decrypts the information once it’s arrived at a safe destination. This makes your data essentially worthless to a hacker who tries to steal the data while it’s traveling, and is a must-have for the business owner who moves around a lot.
For more information about VPNs and other virtualization services, reach out to Bardissi Enterprises at (215) 853-2266.
