There are a lot of remote work tools that require you to change the way you work. e.g. Replacing a file server with Google Drive. But there are also options that do not require such wholesale changes. It is possible to have a conventional network and be mobile too.
A Mesh VPN is a software-only solution that allows you to build a secure remote network that works just like your office network. Each device on this virtual network can see each other without concern for their physical location, or network reconfiguration. Devices will roam automatically from location to location without reconfiguration. None of your devices are technically “on the internet”. They share a private encrypted network between only themselves.
For example, you install the Mesh VPN or Hotbot VPN software on each device that needs to connect. e.g. Laptops, desktops, servers, etc. Once connected, each device gets a static IP address and human-friendly name that does not change. By referring to this name, you can connect regardless of the device’s location. As long as each device can see the internet, you will be able to connect to it.
This is much better than a conventional VPN where everyone connects to a central server. Conventional VPNs are technically complex to manage and are prone to failure as environments change. With a good Mesh VPN, the whole process is automatic.
This type of networking is ideal for consultants, accountants, project managers, or anyone else who travels. A consulting firm can have it on a file server, email server, travelling laptops, etc. When a consultant leaves the office and opens their laptop at the customer site, the network will still be there. They are able to access the server as if they were in the office. No action is required on their part to do this.
If your team is working in a remote city, it is also possible to set up a file share on one of the consultant devices and use that as a file server. When each worker goes back to their respective hotels, the server will still be accessible.
And, you can use whatever backup software you like to sync your remote workers’ data back to the server at the head office. A Mesh VPN is just a network. Any software that works at the office should have no trouble working from a remote site.
Security is of the utmost concern here. All connections in the mesh are encrypted. Even when you are in the same room. At no point is your confidential data exposed to the public Internet. And the connections go direct from device to device without passing through a central server. This is a core concept in Zero Trust Networking. If you and your colleagues are in Hong Kong and your server is in New York, traffic between you and your colleagues is direct and encrypted. It doesn’t need to circle the globe.
The main point here is that you don’t always need to change the way you work just because you are remote. It is equally possible to have the technology adapt to the needs of the workers and not the other way around.
For more on how a Mesh VPN can help you and your remote workforce, see The 2hO Network. The 2hO Network is a totally transparent, always-on, often mobile, Mesh VPN. You are securely connected to all the devices you need without any technical hassles. It’s like travelling the world and taking your local network with you. The 2hO Network is free for non-commercial use.