The Top 7 Enterprise VPN Solutions for 2024

Cisco AnyConnect: Best overall

Cisco AnyConnect is my best overall pick for its wide range of security capabilities, quality customer support, and user-friendly experience. It uses multi-factor authentication and establishes a 24-hour usage window, after which a user’s connection drops and they are required to log in again.

SEE: Can a VPN Be Hacked? (TechRepublic)

A highlight for me is how it performs a system check on authentication to determine whether a workstation meets certain requirements, like anti-malware software or corporate domain membership, before it permits access to the company network. This ensures only company-managed systems are allowed on the VPN. I also like how AnyConnect can block access to untrusted servers, display security products installed, and run diagnostics to gather information for analysis and troubleshooting. It disables split tunneling, meaning when a user is connected to the VPN, they can only access corporate resources and nothing on a local home network or the internet.

Why I chose Cisco AnyConnect

I picked Cisco AnyConnect for its user-friendly installation process and intuitive interface. I also find great value in its suite of security features, such as system check and server blocking, that make it a strong option amongst other enterprise VPN solutions with more limited capabilities. Per my research, it also gets glowing reviews from users in terms of its stability and overall reliability.

Pricing

• Contact the vendor for pricing details.

Checkpoint Secure Remote Access: Best for web-based client support

For quality web client support, I recommend Checkpoint Secure Remote Access VPN. It can create custom install packages pre-configured with the target IP address(es) for clients to authenticate to. Like AnyConnect, it’s secured by multi-factor authentication (in this case, either hard tokens or soft tokens, which operate as an app on mobile devices).

SEE: How Much Does a VPN Cost? + Savings Tips (TechRepublic)

I personally like how split tunneling is disabled in Checkpoint Secure Remote Access, just like Cisco AnyConnect. This means, for hackers to get to the clients, they would have to configure the company proxy server settings, which only permit access to public-facing internet sites for business use (social media sites were blocked, for instance). Group memberships determine who can connect where. Checkpoint firewalls serve as the management interface for both the VPN and the firewall settings.

I also want to mention that Checkpoint Site-to-Site VPNs are able to link two remote areas together — allowing traffic to reach networks on either side.

Why I chose Checkpoint Secure Remote Access

I have Checkpoint Secure Remote Access VPN on this list for its impressive SSL VPN portal that allows network access through a web browser. Having secure access to a corporate network is a meaningful value-add that many employees and employers will find useful, especially those working in a hybrid setup. I also feel it makes workflows more efficient, since employees can access important resources without having to install a full-fledged VPN client on their devices.

Pricing

• Contact the vendor for pricing details.

NordLayer: Best for new enterprise VPN users

For businesses transitioning to an enterprise VPN solution, I recommend NordLayer. It’s a powerful remote access solution that enables businesses to secure their remote employees and protect company resources at the same time. If it sounds familiar, it’s because it’s from the same company that created the popular consumer VPN — NordVPN.

Like NordVPN, I like how NordLayer offers an extensive suite of security features without sacrificing ease of use. Some of its features include smart remote access, Always On VPN, Custom DNS, and DNS filtering by category. One big advantage I found with NordLayer is its transparency with pricing, providing estimated prices depending on your needs or subscription of choice. To me, this is an underrated feature that’s perfect for prospective enterprise VPN users.

Why I chose NordLayer

I chose NordLayer for its strong emphasis on ease of deployment, installation, and scalability — which is ideal for businesses that want to start using an enterprise VPN. This allows NordLayer to accommodate most, if not all, business sizes without much headache. I also like that it offers its own proprietary NordLynx protocol, based on WireGuard, that’s built for both speed and security.

Pricing

NordLayer has a monthly and a yearly option for its four subscription tiers. Below is a quick rundown of its annual pricing.

• Lite: $8 per user, per month; 5 users minimum; essential internet access security with basic internet threat prevention.
• Core: $11 per user, per month; 5 users minimum; advanced access security, and basic network access control.
• Premium: $14 per user, per month; 5 users minimum; network access control solutions with granular network segmentation.
• Enterprise: $7 per user, per month; 50 users minimum; custom-fit network security.

SonicWall Global VPN Client: Best lightweight enterprise VPN

For businesses looking for a lightweight option, I suggest SonicWall Global VPN. It offers a fast and efficient product that provides RADIUS/certificate/Smart Card/USB authentication. It comes with both 168-bit key 3DES (Data Encryption Standard) and AES (Advanced Encryption) encryption standards and VPN session reliability that redirects clients to other VPN gateways if problems occur. I particularly appreciate how SonicWall comes with specific subnet access and command-line options for installation, making it easy to deploy through automated software mechanisms.

Why I chose SonicWall Global VPN Client:

I selected SonicWall Global VPN to be on this list for its speed and reliability. It has a good mix of strong security features, such as AES encryption, an easily configurable interface, and a quick and reliable user experience. SonicWall also has a good reputation for providing quality customer support.

Pricing

• Contact the vendor for pricing details.

Fortinet FortiClient: Best for offering wider VPN security options

For businesses looking to have flexibility in terms of VPN security options, I recommend Fortinet FortiClient. It relies on certificates for integration and deployment and offers access to web filtering and a firewall. I also like how its Endpoint protection security capabilities, which uses automated behavior analysis, is included. Fortinet utilizes a “single pane of glass” approach that provides one-stop-shopping to manage configuration, deployment, and management, as well as check client status and engage in vulnerability scanning and patching.

I appreciate how Fortinet offers two different types of VPN solutions — IPSec and SSL — and can be integrated into an organization’s overall endpoint security strategy. This provides a reliable VPN security option for companies that have employees working remotely.

Why I chose Fortinet FortiClient

I chose Fortinet FortiClient for its extensive protocol suite, making it a good choice when security is a top priority. It also stood out for me due to its wide variety of tunneling protocols that are customizable based on protection needs. I also like that Fortinet allows prospective users to trial FortiClient to see if it fits their enterprise needs.

Pricing

• Contact the vendor for pricing details.

Palo Alto GlobalProtect: Best for implementing security policies

For enterprises that want a VPN with reliable security policy capabilities, I suggest looking into Palo Alto GlobalProtect. It offers similar features to prior products listed, such as multi-factor authentication, high security (cookie or certificate-based authentication are two strong features), web filtering and threat protection. In addition, GlobalProtect relies on Zero Trust principles.

Personally, I commend GlobalProtect’s impressive ability to identify what devices are connecting to the VPN and whether they are managed (company-owned or operated) or unmanaged (employee-owned), and providing access accordingly (devices deemed suspicious or unauthorized can be blocked entirely). It can also determine certificates present on devices, operating system and patch levels, anti-malware versions and status, running software, and whether disks are encrypted and data is being backed up by a product.

Why I chose Palo Alto GlobalProtect

I opted for Palo Alto GlobalProtect due to its trustworthiness and reliability in upholding its security policies and feature promises to its clients. Trust and credibility are important tenets in quality security software, and GlobalProtect has continued to maintain a good reputation for protecting corporate and user data. I also find its strong application of zero trust security principles as a meaningful advantage against similar competitors.

Pricing

• Contact the vendor for pricing details.

ZScaler Private Access: Best for zero trust network access

If you’re looking for a ZTNA solution, I recommend ZScaler Private Access. As a disclaimer, Zscaler is a different product from the previous offerings in this article. Rather than being a traditional end-user VPN client, it’s a cloud service that provides access to applications in cloud environments or on-premises systems via a distributed architecture. The twist here is that the applications connect to authorized users via secure encryption rather than vice versa, so users never actually access the remote networks involved.

It uses standard policy-based access, depending on users and applications. For me, I like how ZScaler enables mergers and acquisitions to be facilitated easily due to the reduced infrastructure setup times and lack of need for additional networking equipment.

Why I chose ZScaler Private Access

I have ZScaler Private Access on this list for its zero trust approach that can provide organizations peace-of-mind in an increasingly hybrid workforce. While it isn’t a VPN per se, I feel its cloud service adopts maximum security in protecting corporate data and adds an additional layer of security against possible data breaches.

Pricing

• Contact the vendor for pricing details.