Best SSL VPN (Open VPN)

SSL VPN or Open SSL VPN – Virtual Private Network or simply VPN is essentially an advanced form of technology that ensures privacy or security over the Internet or any other public network. VPN works by creating a secure vpn channel between the enterprise network and the user’s browser to provide internal network access for employees, clients, and other users without compromising security. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) VPN is one example of such tunneling protocols. It uses cryptographic technology to guarantee confidentiality and authenticity in Internet communication.

In determining the pros and cons of SSL VPN, you should know that this technology is often employed as a solution that eliminates the high complexity and costs associated with IPSec VPN, which was the predominant mode for secure transmission of information and applications. SSL VPN is less complex and cheaper than IPSec VPN since all types of web servers and browsers support it. In additional to being a universal protocol, it is easy to implement, as well as very user friendly. Furthermore, most types of network security infrastructure, for example firewalls, can easily be configured to pass SSL protocol without intervention by network administrators. This makes SSL VPN user friendly and less complicated.

In order to appreciate the pros and cons of SSL VPN, it is imperative to compare it with IPSec VPN, which is another predominant VPN technology.

SSL VPN pros over the IPSec VPN

SSL VPN is simpler to implement than IPSec VPN since it does not require any form of client software installation and configuration on the user’s browser. This provides greater flexibility since it can be sued on all types of devices such as PC, smart phones, and PDAs using any type of operating systems such as Windows, UNIX, or Mac OS X.
SSL VPN provides a defined solution to control of access for an application. For example, you can use it to configure who has what level of access for each application you have.
IPSec VPN normally uses UDP ports which are often blocked by firewalls when idle but SSL VPN utilizes TCP port 443 which is not blocked by the firewall.
SSL VPN comes with advanced features developed to address wireless challenges and is thus more efficient for wireless networking.
It is capable of securing every type of connection from WLAN to cellular connections.
It provides greater client flexibility between the enterprise network and the client’s browser.

The Cons

There are however a few concerns over the security level of SSL VPN including the following:

The potential for viruses and worms to infect an organization’s internal network if the SSL VPN is not configured correctly for non-web traffic originating from public terminals.
SSL VPN allows third party search engines such as Google to cache web pages but later erases the data after each session.
A hacker can access the corporate network a user’s device.
Finally, SSL VPN is not as widely adopted as IPSec VPN since its market is still evolving.

SSL VPN provides better data confidentiality, allows multiple user authentication, gives you control over who has access to which application, and is quite flexible when compared to other types of VPNs such as IPSec VPN.