Best Enterprise VPN
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- What Is an Enterprise VPN in 2025 (and When You Need SASE/ZTNA)
- Key Features That Matter (Security, Performance, Compliance)
- Pricing Models Explained (Per-User, Gateways, Bandwidth)
- Deployment Architectures (Cloud, On-Prem, Hybrid)
- Evaluation Framework (Scorecard & Weights)
- Sample Comparison Table (Feature-by-Feature)
- RFP/RFI Question Bank (Copy & Use)
- Rollout Plan: 30–60–90 Days
- Optimization & Ongoing Operations
- FAQs
1) Executive Summary
Enterprise access in 2025 blends traditional VPN with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and SASE (secure access service edge). Your winning setup should deliver strong identity, least-privilege access, fast throughput worldwide, and provable compliance. This guide shows you how to evaluate vendors with a practical, vendor-neutral scorecard—so you can build a shortlist and run a clean proof of concept (POC).
2) What Is an Enterprise VPN in 2025 (and When You Need SASE/ZTNA)
- Enterprise VPN: Encrypted tunnels (IKEv2/IPsec, WireGuard, TLS-based) from users or sites to corporate resources. Still vital for legacy networks, server-to-server links, and full-tunnel scenarios.
- ZTNA: App-level access based on identity and device posture—no flat network exposure, fewer lateral-movement risks.
- SASE: Converges networking + security (SWG, CASB, DLP, firewall-as-a-service, SD-WAN) with global PoPs for performance and consistent policy.
When to choose what:
- Heavy legacy, site-to-site, or self-hosted apps → VPN + gradual ZTNA overlay.
- Modern SaaS mix, remote-first teams, granular access → ZTNA-first or SASE with ZTNA module.
- M&A or multi-cloud sprawl → SASE gives unified control plane and global acceleration.
3) Key Features That Matter (Security, Performance, Compliance)
Security & Identity
- MFA/Phishing-resistant auth (FIDO2/WebAuthn), SSO (SAML/OIDC), just-in-time access.
- Device posture: OS version, disk encryption, EDR presence, jailbreak/root checks.
- Policy granularity: per-app, per-group, time-bound, geofence; micro-segmentation for east-west control.
- Key management & crypto: TLS 1.3, modern cipher suites, certificate pinning, perfect forward secrecy.
Performance & Reliability
- Global PoPs with smart routing and Anycast.
- Protocol agility (WireGuard/UDP, TLS fallback).
- Split tunneling and local breakout for SaaS.
- Autoscaling gateways; high availability (multi-region).
Monitoring & SOC Visibility
- Rich logs (auth, policy, posture, DNS), SIEM integrations (Syslog, Splunk, Datadog).
- Real-time analytics: latency, loss, throughput; per-user and per-app views.
Compliance & Trust
- Audits: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001; pen test cadence; SBOM transparency.
- Data residency & privacy controls (regional PoPs, lawful data handling).
- Incident response: SLAs, RTO/RPO, breach disclosure procedures.
4) Pricing Models Explained (Per-User, Gateways, Bandwidth)
- Per-user (tiered): Common for ZTNA/SASE; includes core features with add-ons (DLP/CASB/secure web gateway). Predictable for remote-first teams.
- Per-gateway/connector: Used for self-hosted or hybrid; you pay for appliances/instances.
- Bandwidth-based: Suitable for site-to-site or high-throughput workloads; watch for egress fees.
- Support tiers: Standard vs. premium (24×7, TAM, faster SLAs).
Tip: Model your TCO over 36 months (licenses + infra + ops + support).
5) Deployment Architectures (Cloud, On-Prem, Hybrid)
- Cloud-native: Quickest to deploy; minimal hardware; ideal for distributed workforce.
- On-prem: For tight data controls or air-gapped segments; requires capacity planning and HA pairs.
- Hybrid: Most common—cloud control plane, lightweight connectors close to apps, plus on-prem gateways for legacy.
6) Evaluation Framework (Scorecard & Weights)
Use this to shortlist vendors (total 100):
| Pillar | Weight | What to Check |
|---|---|---|
| Security & Identity | 30 | FIDO2, SSO breadth, posture checks, micro-segmentation, modern crypto |
| Performance | 20 | Global PoPs, WireGuard/TLS agility, throughput, latency SLOs |
| Features | 15 | Per-app access, DNS protection, SWG, DLP/CASB options |
| Visibility | 10 | SIEM export, APIs, live analytics, alerting |
| Compliance/Trust | 10 | SOC2, ISO, data residency, pen tests |
| Pricing/TCO | 10 | 36-mo cost, support tiers, overage risks |
| Ease of Deploy/Operate | 5 | Time-to-value, migration aid, documentation |
Assign 1–5 per cell and multiply by weight.
7) Sample Comparison Table (Feature-by-Feature)
(Vendor-agnostic example; replace “Vendor A/B/C” with your shortlist.)
| Capability | Vendor A | Vendor B | Vendor C |
|---|---|---|---|
| MFA (FIDO2/WebAuthn) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SSO (SAML/OIDC/SCIM) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Device posture (EDR checks) | ✓ | Partial | ✓ |
| Per-app ZTNA policies | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| WireGuard + TLS fallback | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Global PoPs (≥60) | ✓ | ✓ | Partial |
| SWG/DLP/CASB modules | ✓ | ✓ | Add-on |
| SIEM export & APIs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SOC2 Type II / ISO 27001 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data residency options | ✓ | Partial | ✓ |
| Support SLA (24×7) | Premium | Standard | Premium |
| Pricing model | Per-user | Per-user + bandwidth | Gateways |
8) RFP/RFI Question Bank (Copy & Use)
- Identity & MFA: Do you support FIDO2/WebAuthn with passkeys? Any conditional access policies by risk score or device posture?
- Device Posture: Which EDRs and OS signals are evaluated? Can we define custom checks (e.g., registry keys, daemon presence)?
- Policies: How granular are app-level rules? Do you provide time-limited or ticket-bound access?
- Protocols & Performance: Which protocols are supported? How do you mitigate packet loss and optimize latency across regions?
- Visibility: What logs and metrics are exported to SIEM? Do you offer a real-time API for session events?
- Compliance: Provide latest SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 scope, and pen-test summary.
- Data Handling: Data residency options? PII minimization? Retention controls?
- SASE Modules: SWG/DLP/CASB availability and how policies are unified.
- Support & SLAs: Response times by severity; premium support pricing; incident comms process.
- Pricing & TCO: Licensing details, overage triggers, multi-year discounts, migration assistance.
9) Rollout Plan: 30–60–90 Days
Days 1–30 (Plan & POC):
- Map apps and user groups; pick 2–3 vendors; run a POC with 50–100 users in 3 regions.
- Validate auth flows, device posture, and performance (latency < 120 ms for most users).
- Document policies (per-app) and emergency break-glass access.
Days 31–60 (Pilot):
- Expand to 25–35% of workforce; integrate SIEM; tune policies.
- Train IT/helpdesk; create self-service docs and quick-start videos.
Days 61–90 (Scale):
- Full rollout region-by-region; set SLOs (availability, latency, incident MTTR).
- Quarterly posture reviews; enable SWG/DLP where needed.
10) Optimization & Ongoing Operations
- KPIs: Auth success rate, median RTT/throughput, ticket volume, policy exceptions.
- Change control: Stage new policies; use canary groups; maintain rollback plans.
- Security hygiene: Rotate keys/certs, review admin roles, quarterly access recertification.
- Cost control: Right-size licenses; watch bandwidth spikes; revisit multi-year pricing.
11) FAQs
Q1: Is ZTNA replacing VPNs entirely?
A: Not for every case. ZTNA is ideal for app-level access, but site-to-site links, legacy protocols, and full-tunnel scenarios still need VPNs. Many organizations run hybrid.
Q2: What protocol should we prefer?
A: Choose vendors that support WireGuard or modern TLS tunnels with fallback. Protocol agility helps across networks and geographies.
Q3: How do we measure user experience?
A: Track end-to-end latency, packet loss, and login success rates per region. Ask vendors for synthetic monitoring and client telemetry.
Q4: How do we prove compliance?
A: Request current SOC2/ISO reports, pen-test summaries, data-flow docs, and evidence of incident response drills.
Q5: What’s the typical price range?
A: Varies by features and scale. Expect per-user monthly tiers for ZTNA/SASE and possible gateway or bandwidth costs for hybrid/site-to-site.
