VPN and SDN: the security and flexibility of virtual networks in the era of remote work

The current trend of remote working has led organizations to make extensive use of virtual infrastructures, especially virtual private networks (VPNs), which are becoming more and more common. Setting up and configuring a VPN can be a daunting task. Network administrators must choose the appropriate tools and manually configure the network to meet the organization's needs in terms of cybersecurity, user anonymity, and network complexity. Sometimes, a VPN may not meet the needs of the organization, which may have to look to a more complex technology such as software-defined networks (SDN). In this article, we look at the potential, benefits and key applications of both types of networks.

Basic concepts of VPNs

VPNs are technologies that allow different machines to connect through a virtual network. Unlike physical networks, which require the placement of wires or radio transmitters, a virtual network builds on existing physical infrastructure and defines its topology entirely through software. A VPN is implemented through a virtual network interface assigned an IP address, behind which there is no real physical device. The latter implements a series of processes, such as the analysis of the VPN configurations, to decide the destination of the data traffic. This virtual connection obscures the physical connections between the devices from view, giving the illusion that they are connected directly to each other.

Improve your network security with a VPN

VPNs implement encryption to protect the security of transmitted data and use gateways to mask the actual IP addresses of clients on the network. For example, Wireguard is open source software that adds encryption to your VPN. This specific function allows the transmission of data to be transformed into codes, guaranteeing the necessary protection, maintaining the anonymity of the users in the various virtual networks. As the number of connected devices increases, the VPN setup changes accordingly, making configurations more complex. It is always important to make sure that any data traffic is always encrypted and that no device, except the gateway, knows the physical IPs of the peers. This way, you ensure that your connection is both secure and anonymous.

The Evolution of Virtual Networking into Software Defined Networking (SDN)

In large companies, international organizations and users of cloud computing services, a more elaborate and flexible tool is needed than a simple virtual network. Software Defined Networks (SDN) offer a more refined and complete solution, thanks to a set of dedicated network services on switches, load balancers, gateways and other elements. SDN helps simplify and centralize network management, keep network configurations consistent, improve security levels, and optimize load balancing. It is also possible to create more complex networks in relation to business needs. Keep in mind that building an SDN requires a lot of attention to network design and planning. When properly implemented, software-defined networking offers multiple opportunities to enhance your virtual network.

Bottom line, with modern tools like Wireguard and BIRD, organizations can build virtual networks that include multiple intranets, integrate cloud services, and allow users to securely access all required resources with granular control. Creating such networks requires a deep understanding of how information travels and terminals communicate in a network, as well as a careful consideration of the security and reliability of the virtual network.