Remote work has changed the way employees connect to company systems. Instead of working exclusively from a corporate office, employees may access applications from home, hotels, airports, coworking spaces, and other locations.
This has created continued demand for enterprise VPN software, but the role of VPN technology is changing.
Traditional VPNs were designed primarily to connect remote users to a corporate network. Modern businesses increasingly want more granular access controls, stronger identity verification, and better visibility into remote connections.
What Is Enterprise VPN Software?
A business VPN creates an encrypted connection between a user’s device and a protected corporate environment.
Depending on the architecture, a VPN can allow employees to securely access:
- Internal applications
- File servers
- Databases
- Company intranets
- Remote desktops
- Development environments
- Administrative systems
Encryption helps prevent unauthorized parties on an untrusted network from easily reading the traffic traveling through the VPN connection.
Why Businesses Still Use VPNs
Despite the growth of Zero Trust Network Access, VPNs remain widely deployed.
Many organizations have legacy applications that were designed around network-based access.
Replacing those applications can take years.
VPNs can therefore provide a practical way to maintain secure remote access while businesses gradually modernize their infrastructure.
However, traditional VPN architecture can create limitations when organizations have large numbers of remote users and cloud applications.
The Problem With Broad Network Access
A traditional VPN may authenticate an employee and then provide access to a large portion of the corporate network.
This can be convenient, but it can also increase the potential impact of a compromised account.
If an attacker obtains VPN credentials, they may be able to explore internal systems that the employee does not actually need.
This is one reason businesses are increasingly considering Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).
Instead of giving a user broad network access, ZTNA can provide access to specific applications based on identity and policy.
VPN vs. Zero Trust Network Access
VPN and ZTNA solve related but different problems.
A VPN generally creates a secure tunnel into a network.
ZTNA focuses on providing controlled access to specific applications.
For example, an employee may need access to a company CRM system but have no reason to access internal servers.
A ZTNA architecture can potentially provide access to the CRM without exposing the rest of the network.
This reduces unnecessary access.
Identity Is Becoming More Important
Modern enterprise VPN systems increasingly integrate with identity providers.
Instead of relying only on usernames and passwords, organizations can require:
- Multi-factor authentication
- Device verification
- Security certificates
- Conditional access
- Risk-based authentication
This makes it harder for attackers to use stolen credentials.
Google Cloud’s 2026 Threat Horizons research continues to emphasize identity compromise as a major cloud security concern.
Device Security Matters Too
Knowing who the user is may not be enough.
A legitimate employee could be using an infected laptop.
Enterprise remote access platforms can evaluate device conditions before allowing access.
For example, an organization may require that:
- The operating system is supported
- Security software is active
- The device is managed
- Disk encryption is enabled
- Security patches are current
This creates a stronger connection between endpoint security and remote access.
Cloud Applications Are Changing VPN Requirements
Traditional VPNs were largely designed around applications hosted inside corporate data centers.
Today, many business applications run in the cloud.
Employees may access Microsoft 365, Salesforce, cloud databases, development platforms, and other SaaS services directly over the internet.
Routing all of this traffic through a corporate VPN may create unnecessary complexity.
Some organizations are therefore adopting hybrid approaches where traditional VPNs protect legacy applications while Zero Trust and secure access technologies protect cloud applications.
VPN and AI Infrastructure
AI applications introduce another consideration.
Employees may access AI platforms from corporate devices, while AI agents may communicate with external APIs.
Businesses need to determine what traffic should be protected, monitored, or restricted.
For example, a company may want employees to use approved AI applications while preventing sensitive information from being transmitted to unauthorized services.
This requires remote access technology to work alongside identity security and data loss prevention.
Performance Matters
Security is important, but remote access must also provide acceptable performance.
A VPN server located far from the user can increase latency.
This can become particularly noticeable when employees access cloud applications through the VPN.
Modern enterprise VPN providers use distributed infrastructure and optimized routing to improve performance.
Businesses should test VPN performance from the locations where employees actually work.
What to Look for in Enterprise VPN Software
Businesses evaluating enterprise VPN solutions should consider:
Encryption: Does the platform use modern encryption protocols?
MFA: Can it integrate with strong authentication?
Identity integration: Does it support corporate identity providers?
Device posture: Can it verify device security?
Cloud support: Can it work with modern cloud infrastructure?
Scalability: Can it support remote employees across multiple locations?
Logging: Can security teams investigate connections?
Access controls: Can administrators restrict access by application or resource?
Performance: Can users maintain acceptable speeds and latency?
Zero Trust integration: Can the VPN coexist with or transition toward ZTNA?
Enterprise VPN Pricing
Pricing varies according to users, devices, features, bandwidth, and deployment model.
Some solutions are priced per user, while others use device or gateway-based licensing.
Additional costs can include dedicated appliances, support contracts, cloud infrastructure, and implementation.
For larger businesses, the total cost should be compared with the cost of operating and maintaining the existing remote-access architecture.
When Should a Business Replace Its VPN?
Not every organization needs to eliminate its VPN immediately.
A traditional VPN may still be appropriate for businesses with relatively simple infrastructure.
However, companies with large remote workforces, multiple cloud providers, SaaS applications, and increasingly distributed infrastructure may benefit from evaluating alternatives.
A gradual transition can be more practical than a complete replacement.
For example:
- Protect legacy applications with the existing VPN.
- Implement stronger identity controls.
- Introduce device verification.
- Move cloud applications toward Zero Trust access.
- Reduce unnecessary network-level access.
- Retire legacy VPN connections over time.
This approach reduces disruption while improving security.
The Future of Enterprise Remote Access
The future of enterprise VPN software is likely to involve greater integration with identity, endpoint security, cloud security, and Zero Trust architecture.
VPNs are not disappearing overnight.
Many businesses still depend on them because of legacy applications and existing infrastructure.
But the definition of secure remote access is changing.
Instead of asking only whether a connection is encrypted, organizations increasingly need to ask:
Who is connecting, what device are they using, what application do they need, and should they have access right now?
That shift is moving enterprise remote access away from simple network tunnels toward identity-aware, risk-based access control.
For businesses modernizing their infrastructure in 2026, understanding this difference can help them choose whether to strengthen their existing VPN environment, adopt ZTNA, or use a combination of both.