VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It is a service that protects your privacy while surfing the internet. When you are connected to the internet through a VPN, all your internet traffic is passed through a secured encrypted VPN tunnel. It not only secures your data online but also hides your identity on the internet by hiding your IP address and allows you to use public WiFi hotspots safely. VPN connections are of different types. In this article, we will discuss the differences between Site-to-Site VPN, Remote VPN, and Direct Connect.
Site-to-Site VPN vs Direct Connect vs Remote VPN
As described above, a VPN creates a secure tunnel through which the exchange of data takes place online. When you are not connected to a VPN and try to access a website, your ISP receives your request and redirects you to the destination. This situation changes when you are connected to a VPN.
A VPN encrypts your data before it leaves your device. Then it passes to the ISP. Because VPN encrypts your data, your ISP cannot know about your requests (what you are searching for on the internet). Hence, it forwards your request to the VPN server. The VPN server decrypts your data and then sends it to the destination.
Data coming to your device from the internet also has to go through the same process but in reverse order. The data is sent from the destination to the VPN server, where it is encrypted. After that, it is sent to your ISP server and then forwarded to your device. Your device has the VPN software which decrypts the data. Hence, your device and the VPN server are the two endpoints where data is encrypted and decrypted.
Now, let’s talk about Site-to-Site and Remote VPNs.
What is Site-to-Site VPN
Site-to-Site VPN is commonly used by companies or organizations. Organizations have multiple offices located at different locations worldwide. Each of these branch offices has its Local Area Network (LAN). Because these branch offices are physically separated, they need a secure connection through which the data can be exchanged.
The Site-to-Site VPN establishes a secure connection among all the branches of an organization separated geographically so that data can be accessed or shared securely over the network.
The Site-to-Site VPN is of two types:
- Intranet-based Site-to-Site VPN
- Extranet-based Site-to-Site VPN
An organization can use an Intranet-based Site-to-Site VPN connection to connect one or more remote branches over a single network securely. Technically, we can say that multiple LANs are connected to one another securely over a single WAN.
An organization can use the Extranet-based Site-to-Site VPN to build a secure connection to another organization(s). An Extranet based VPN allows multiple organizations to work over a secure shared network environment while preventing access to their separate intranets.
What is Remote VPN
A Remote VPN or Remote Access VPN is different from a Site-to-Site VPN. While the Site-to-Site VPN connection is used by organizations to establish a secure connection among all its branches located worldwide, the Remote Access VPN provides individual users with a secure connection to access their organization’s resources from their remote locations even while traveling.
A Remote Access VPN establishes a secure connection between a corporate network and mobile devices. This type of VPN connection is used by organizations offering work from home to their employees.
To establish a Remote Access VPN connection, it is necessary to install dedicated VPN software on each user’s computer.
Below, we have compared both of these VPN connections.
- A Remote Access VPN requires the installation of dedicated VPN software on each of the user’s computers. On the other hand, there is no such requirement for Site-to-Site VPN.
- Individual employees of a company can connect to the Remote Access VPNs from different remote locations even while traveling. Whereas, Site-to-Site VPNs are fixed and used to make a secure connection among different branches of an organization.
- The Remote Access VPN supports both IPSec and SSL technologies, whereas, the SIte-to-Site VPN supports only IPSec technology.
Related: What is VPN Split Tunneling? Is it good or bad?
What is Direct Connect
Virtual Private Network creates a secure tunnel to transfer data online securely over the public internet. What if an organization does not want to use the public Internet? This is what the Direct Connect service offers. Direct Connect is a cloud service solution that establishes a dedicated network connection to an organization’s on-premises. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one of the Direct Connect solution providers.
Large organizations have their own data centers. Hence, accessing these data centers through a public internet connection can lead to vulnerabilities like hacking, virus attacks, data leak, etc. Direct Connect overcomes this disadvantage by bypassing the public internet connection.
Companies like Amazon have their own Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) that are provided to the users who purchase the Direct Connect services from them. All the Virtual Private Clouds are completely isolated from one another. Hence, there is no risk of data leaks. Organizations can use these Virtual Private Clouds to store data. This data can be accessible by the organization’s employees through a secured connection, which is established over a fiber optic cable (in the case of AWS Direct Connect).
Some of you may wonder that VPN also creates a secured encrypted tunnel to prevent data leaks and other online threats, what is the need for Direct Connect? Organizations use Direct Connect because:
- It is a dedicated network connection to the organization’s data centers. Hence, it is more secure than a VPN.
- The data transfer speed of the Direct Connect connections can be up to 100 Gbps. Whereas VPNs create a secure tunnel over a public network, the data transfer speed of which is usually in Mbps. Therefore, it will not only take a long time to transfer a large amount of data over a VPN but also cost more.
Below, we have compared some points of Direct Connect and VPN connections:
- A VPN connection is quick and easy to establish, whereas, Direct Connect takes time to establish (depending on your service provider).
- As described above, the connection speed of Direct Connect can be up to 100 Gbps (depending on your service provider), whereas, the connection speed of VPNs is usually in Mbps.
- Direct Connect is suitable to access or transfer a large amount of data stored in an organization’s data centers.
- A VPN connection uses the public internet, whereas Direct Connect is a dedicated network connection between an organization and its data centers.
Related: Difference between VPN and Antivirus explained.
Which is better Site-to-Site VPN or Direct Connect?
Direct Connect is a dedicated connection between your organization and its on-premises. Site-to-Site VPN uses the public network and creates an encrypted tunnel over it. Hence, Direct Connect is more secure than Site-to-Site VPN. But when it comes to selecting one of them, it depends on your requirements.
What is the difference between AWS, Site-to-SiteVPN, and Direct Connect?
AWS stands for Amazon Web Services. It is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides cloud computing solutions. AWS Direct Connect is one of its services. Site-to-Site VPN is a type of Virtual Private Network that is used to establish a secure connection among all the branches of an organization located worldwide. Direct Connect is a dedicated connection that connects an organization to its on-premises or data centers securely. The speed of Direct Connect is usually higher than VPN connections.
Read next: What is a decentralized VPN?
