Key components
Hybrid VPNs integrate two distinct types of VPNs, remote access and site-to-site, into a single, consolidated solution, providing connectivity for both individual users and entire networks.
Here are some of the key components:
- Remote Access VPN: The most common scenario is a remote user who needs to connect to their organization’s corporate network. Here’s how a VPN works: the individual initiates a VPN connection using client software installed on their device, authenticating with their credentials. The VPN software then establishes an encrypted tunnel to a VPN gateway. With the tunnel established, the user may access resources on the corporate network as if they were connected locally, with all transmitted data protected from eavesdropping or manipulation during transit over the public internet.
- Site-to-Site VPN: To connect multiple networks or branches of an organization together, a site-to-site VPN may either route or bridge the necessary communications. In routed mode, the VPN gateway acts as a router, enabling seamless access and resource sharing between the remote location and the primary network segment. In bridged mode, the VPN gateway connects the remote site to the primary network, making them appear and operate as a single extended LAN.
- VPN Gateways: The VPN gateway is a physical or virtual device located at the edge of the network perimeter which manages inbound and outbound VPN tunnels. It facilitates communication between connected networks or users, authenticates users and connected devices, establishes secure tunnels, and enforces predefined security policies.
- Routing Protocols: In a hybrid VPN configuration, the VPN gateways implement dynamic routing protocols to facilitate network communication. These protocols enable the VPN gateways to exchange routing information with peers, which allows them to maintain accurate routing tables. The protocols also help gateways to select optimal paths to route traffic between remote employees, branch offices, corporate networks, and cloud resources.
Benefits of a Hybrid VPN
Hybrid VPNs offer a number of advantages that address the many cybersecurity challenges that organizations face:
- Enhanced Security: Hybrid VPNs ensure confidentiality and security of data by utilizing advanced encryption algorithms, like AES-256, to protect data transmitted over public networks. They also allow for granular access control, with access granted or denied based on user roles, locations, time of day, or device type.
- Improved Application Performance: The routing protocols used, in combination with load balancing techniques, ensure that hybrid VPNs effectively distribute network traffic across available paths. Hybrid VPNs allow for deployment close to users or branches, reducing the physical distance data needs to travel.
- Scalability and Flexibility: Hybrid VPN architectures can scale to support growth in the organization. For example, by using virtualized or cloud-based solutions, administrators can provision new resources, modify networks, and add or replace components as needed.
- Centralized Management: By using a centralized management console, hybrid VPNs allow for simplified policy enforcement and monitoring capabilities. This unified view of the organization’s network enables security staff to easily define and apply security policies, like firewalls, intrusion detection, or access controls.
Requirements for Implementing a Hybrid VPN
Here are essential considerations to ensure successful VPN implementation:
- Assess Current Needs: Evaluate the existing network structure, and make predictions about future needs. Identify the total number of users requiring remote access, along with the number of branch offices or data centers that need secure connectivity. Bandwidth is also an important consideration. Assess the available bandwidth and network latency between locations to ensure the hybrid VPN can accommodate current requirements and increased demand from growth.
- Identify Suitable Solutions: Existing infrastructure and scaling requirements will likely determine whether a physical appliance or a cloud-based solution is needed. Analyze the general performance, including throughput, session capacity, and concurrent normal connection limits. Further assess the encryption capabilities, authentication methods, dynamic routing protocols, and integrated security features.
- Ensure Compliance: The hybrid VPN should comply with all relevant industry regulations and standards, such as ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR. Ensure the service provider supports the necessary features to achieve or maintain compliance.
Configuration for Hybrid VPN: 3 Comprehensive Steps
Here are some of the most important configuration steps to deploy a hybrid VPN solution:
#1: Plan Topology
The two most common topologies for a hybrid VPN architecture are the hub-and-spoke, and mesh configurations.
- Hub-and-Spoke: defines a central hub, such as a main office or data center, and all branch offices or remote users connect via a secure tunnel. While this is a relatively easy topology to deploy, the centralization may introduce latency or bandwidth bottlenecks.
- Mesh: In a mesh topology configuration, every branch office or remote user connects directly to other locations through the VPN. While it improves resiliency and performance, the complexity and management overhead of maintaining a large number of tunnels is of practical concern.
#2: Configure Settings
Regardless of topology, the VPN gateway must be configured with the appropriate protocols and authentication methods.
- IKEv2/IPsec: For example, Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) may be used for secure key exchange, while IPsec provides the encryption for data transmitted over the VPN tunnel. IKEv2/IPsec offers strong security and high performance.
- SSL/TLS: Another option is the combination of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are protocols that provide encrypted connectivity. While SSL/TLS are easy to set up, they may not offer the highest levels of security or performance.
- Authentication Methods: Administrators are typically presented with two primary modes of authentication. Certificate-based authentication relies on digital certificates to authenticate users. While it provides strong security, the certificates must be carefully managed. The more traditional option is username and password combinations, which is less secure but easier to implement. Use of multi-factor authentication (MFA) is generally recommended to improve security of this authentication method.
#3: Choose Routing Protocols
- Open Shortest Path First (OSPF): OSPF is widely used, easy to configure and reconfigure, and scales well for medium-sized networks. However, OSPF may not be suitable for an enterprise VPN-sized solution. It uses a link-state database to calculate the best paths for routing networks.
- Border Gateway Protocol (BGP): BGP is most appropriate for large, growing, complex networks. Its path vector-based routing makes it capable of high scalability, however its configuration is more complex than OSPF, making it slower to adapt to changes in network infrastructure.
These deployment considerations demonstrate that hybrid VPNs require careful planning to implement.
Alternative options, such as secure access service edge solutions (SASE), offer certain advantages in terms of ease of deployment, performance, and security.
Stay Secure with Quantum Remote Access and Harmony SASE
Hybrid VPNs are used to enhance the security and functionality of an organization’s remote access capabilities and network security infrastructure. They provide secure connectivity and extend network resource access to both remote users and branch offices.
Check Point Quantum Remote Access VPN gives organizations a powerful remote access option to give remote users seamless access to company network resources. Request a free trial to discover how Quantum Remote Access ensures the security of critical business communications.
Securing remote access for both on-prem and cloud resources requires advanced solutions. Check Point Harmony SASE delivers secure connectivity services closer to the user, providing superior performance, scalability, and AI-enhanced malware detection.
Book a demo to learn more about Harmony SASE.
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