There are two types of VPN services that you should know, which are the personal VPN and business VPN. Both have their own functions. The personal VPN service is the private network service that is used by individuals, while the business VPN service is the private network service that is used by businesses or corporations. So, make sure that you are choosing your virtual network service according to your needs.
When you take a look at the personal and business VPN, there are several differences that make them stand out from one another. Here are the 7 key differences between personal VPN and business VPN:
1. One User Vs. Multiple Users
Of course, one of the most obvious differences is that the personal service is designed for one user, while the business service is designed for multiple users. Usually, the business service has one global account, which can be used by multiple users, which are usually the employees. Each employee is given the username and password for the virtual private network connection, and they will each connect to the servers of their choice. In the personal VPN service, the user has the full control of their account, while in the business service, the account manager is the one who has the full control of the business account.
2. Account Management Function
In the personal VPN service, you can fully control the virtual private network that you use. You can also control each device that connects to the private server, depending on your needs. In the business service, there is one account manager that has the task to control all users, or the employees that use the VPN connection. The account manager can add or remove individual users as they see fit, and they can also change the global settings for the VPN network and apply the new setting company-wide.
3. Regular Servers Vs. Business Servers
The personal VPN account will connect to the servers that are regularly available for all the users of the virtual private network. You are sharing the use of each server with other users, so there is a risk of server overload if there are too many users that use the same server at the same time. With the business service, usually the VPN providers have their own servers, specifically designed for business users. So, business users can connect to the business servers, with a better performance and quality as compared to the regular servers.
4. Dedicated IP Address With Dedicated Server
For the personal VPN service, the IP address that you get when you connect to a private server is shared, which means that one IP address might be used by several users at once. Also, your IP address is changed regularly even if you connect to the same server every day. On the business service, the IP address that is provided is dedicated IP address, meaning that only your company uses that particular IP address in one server. So, it is not shared with other business users. However, each employee that uses the private network will share your business IP address.
5. Software Installation
The VPN provider usually gives different software for the personal and business users. For the personal users, the software used is the same software used by other users, with the same installation procedure and several software versions depending on the platforms. For business users, the software is usually customized depending on the business needs, and the installation is usually done by the security experts from the VPN provider.
6. Personal Use Vs. Business Use
The personal VPN service is usually used for personal purposes, such as accessing blocked websites, watching movies from another region, subscribing to services from other countries, and so on. Also the personal service offers security and privacy protection for individuals in their online activity, such as online banking and shopping. The business VPN service, on the other hand, is usually used for online business activities, business security and data protection, secure business communication, and other business-related purposes.
7. Individual Privacy Vs. Whole Business Privacy
The personal VPN service is designed to protect individual privacy and keep the individual anonymity in their online activity. It also protects the sensitive and private information of the individual, so that any third parties cannot monitor their activity. For the business VPN, it is designed to protect the privacy of the whole business, including all of its employees. The employees can keep their privacy online when they do their business activity, and the whole business can protect their important assets and data online.
Those are the 7 key differences between personal VPN and business VPN. Since business VPN is invariably more complicated than the personal VPN service, especially during the installation and maintenance process, it usually requires the business client to consult with the experts from the VPN service provider before they can use their VPN service.
I have a three-person business so for a while we used just three personal acc from NordVPN. Then we decided to switch to NordVPN teams and it’s much easier to handle, so I’d recommend any business that has more than one person involved to switch to a business-oriented VPN plan.
Thanks Davin