
How to Set Up an Enterprise VPN: A Step-by-Step Guide
Discover how to make enterprise VPN’s work for your organization.

As more companies have adopted flexible and remote working models, keeping all your users safe has become more difficult. Securing the perimeter of an office, with every user accessing the same network and Wi-Fi connection has its own challenges. Attempting to replicate this for users working from home or from multiple office locations is even harder. VPNs are here to help secure that connection, making network security that little bit easier.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) protects your internet connection and your privacy while online. Configuring a business VPN is often seen as an essential layer of cybersecurity protection for employees, as threats like malware, phishing attacks, and other types of cyberattacks typically exploit network vulnerabilities, putting sensitive data at risk.
In this guide, we’ll take you through the process of setting up an enterprise VPN, covering key considerations such as selecting the right VPN solution, configuring servers and clients, selecting and enforcing policies, and testing to ensure optimal performance.
What Is An Enterprise VPN?
An Enterprise VPN is the same as a usual VPN, except for its deployment. Enterprise VPNs connect remote users to a business’ internal resources and systems over a secure, encrypted connection. This ensures that only authorized users are permitted to access restricted resources.
Consumer-grade VPNs are generally used by individuals to bypass geo restriction or simply for personal privacy. Enterprise VPNs are tailored to enterprise uses, they are, therefore, more able to scale, may have centralized controls, and will ensure robust security protocols are in place to safeguard corporate data.
Typical use cases for an Enterprise VPN include:
- Connecting multiple sites within an organization
- Enabling remote work
- Providing secure and private access to company resources and communications
How To Set Up An Enterprise VPN: Step-By-Step Guide
Here are the 4 key stages of setting up an enterprise VPN:
1. Determine Requirements
- Enterprise organizations naturally have more complex network infrastructure and more users to accommodate, so an enterprise-grade VPN needs to match those demands
- VPNs can be deployed either on-premises with a physical appliance or in the cloud
- Decide if a site-to-site VPN or a remote access VPN is more appropriate for your organization’s business requirements
- A VPN client, server, and router will be required for implementation
2. Install VPN Clients On Devices
- VPN providers’ websites typically have download links available to fetch the clients
- Which specific platforms clients are available for will differ between providers
- VPN vendors usually also have their own setup guides or technical documentation published, so consult these items for guidance if they are available
3. Choose A VPN Protocol
Which VPN protocol you choose determines how traffic gets routed from your device to the VPN server. This setting can typically be switched from within your VPN client software.
The following are some of the most commonly used VPN protocols:
- OpenVPN – A popular open-source protocol known for its versatility, fast speeds, and reliable performance.
- WireGuard – A newer protocol similar to OpenVPN that serves as a base for many proprietary VPN protocols.
- IKEv2 (Internet Key Exchange version 2) with IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) – Lightweight and speedy protocol, but may not work on all networks.
- L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) with IPSec – A protocol that offers enhanced security, but sacrifices some speed.
- SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol) – Legacy protocol that was created by Microsoft and built into some Windows machines.
- PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) – Legacy protocol that was one of the first available VPN protocols; does not offer as much security as newer options.
4. Test functionality and troubleshoot if needed
- One of the most common issues when implementing a VPN is that other layers of security such as firewalls may try to block it
- It is recommended to only have one type of VPN client running at one time in order to prevent conflicts
- Choosing a VPN server closest to your geographical location can help reduce latency
- Once it’s confirmed that the VPN is functioning as intended, admins can adjust other settings to meet their organization’s preferences. For instance, some may want to toggle whether the VPN should run automatically on system startup.
Tips And Best Practices
VPNs serve as entry points into protected networks, which can make them an attractive target for threat actors. Not properly securing VPNs can leave organizations vulnerable to risks including:
- Reading or harvesting credentials or other sensitive data
- Cryptographic weakening or hijacking of encrypted data
- Remote / arbitrary code execution
CISA and the NSA have published official guidance on how to select a VPN service and harden it against vulnerabilities.Recommendations for protecting VPN from compromise include configuring strong cryptography and authentication, running only strictly necessary features, and protecting and monitoring access to and from the VPN.
For more information on VPNs and their uses, you may want to look at some of the following articles:
- The Best Enterprise VPNs
- Enterprise VPNs Buyers’ Guide 2025
- How To Choose The Best VPN App For Your Business