Cybersecurity technologies

DirectAccess vs. VPN: All Differences, Pros and Cons 2023

Want to know the difference between DirectAccess vs VPN, so you can determine which cybersecurity technology to choose for your business or work?

The choice can be difficult but in this article, we try to show all the pros and cons of each option in the most visual and easy-to-analyze way.

Keep on reading and choose the best online privacy tool for this year!

 

What is DirectAccess?

Owned by Microsoft, DirectAccess, also known as Unified Remote Access, is a secure remote access technology that connects employees and authorized users to your organization network resources remotely without a traditional Virtual Private Network connection.  

How does DirectAccess work?

Source: Tipsmake.com

When a DirectAccess client with an active internet connection is outside of a corporate network, it will attempt to establish connectivity with the DirectAccess gateway by creating IPsec tunnels defined by the connection security rules in the Windows Firewall on the client.

Once the connection has been made, the user gets access to the corporate intranet servers and can access network resources.

Pros and Cons of DirectAccess

The main advantages and features of DirectAccess are:

  • Remote Access
  • User Management
  • Control Access
  • Bypass Internet Censorship
  • Machine-initiated connection
  • Manage Client Remotely Management
  • Firewall friendly

 

Disadvantages of DirectAccess are following:

  • Only work on Windows machine
  • Clients must run on Windows Ultimate or  Enterprise Editions
  • Can’t unblock websites
  • Can’t bypass ISP throttling

 

What is a VPN?

A VPN, short for Virtual Private Network, is an encrypted connection over the Internet from a device to a network.

In the corporate world, it is widely used in the business environment to allow remote users to access corporate network resources securely and ensure sensitive data during transmission are safe and secured from data interception and theft.

However, it also has some recreational uses such as keeping your online identity anonymous and private, bypassing geo-blocking, and accessing restricted content.

How does a VPN work?

A VPN works by encrypting and routing your internet traffic through a private network, owned by your organization (in the case of a corporate VPN) or a third-party VPN service (for consumers VPN).

You can get a deeper picture of how a VPN works by reviewing the infographic below:

Pros and Cons of Personal and Business VPN

Pros of personal VPN:

  • Bypass ISP throttling
  • Unblock websites
  • Affordable
  • Easy to Setup
  • Cross-platform friendly
  • No user maintenance

Disadvantages of personal VPN:

  • No Remote Access
  • User-initiated connection

 

Advantages of business VPN:

  • Remote Access
  • Dedicated IPs
  • Dedicated Account manager
  • Unblock websites
  • User Management
  • Control Access
  • Bypass Internet Censorship
  • Cross-platform friendly

Cons of business VPN:

  • Requires user maintenance
  • User-initiated machine

Learn more about the difference between personal and business VPN

 

DirectAccess vs. Personal VPN vs. Business VPN

Although both DirectAccess and VPN technology are used to access corporate network resources remotely, many users mistakenly assume they are the same. Of which they are not. While it’s safe to assume that both solutions share some similarities in their underlying technology and function, there are some significant differences between them.

For example, if you’re looking to unblock Netflix or other streaming sites, you’re better off with a personal VPN.

However, if you’re much more concerned about getting a secured connection to your corporate network and accessing its resources on a non-Windows laptop or device, using a business VPN is your best bet as DirectAccess only works on Windows laptops.

On the other hand, if you’re accessing your corporate resources with a laptop running on Windows OS and want to give your IT department the ability to manage it from their end, DirectAccess is what you want to go for. As it’s much more secured and affordable.

See a full comparison below.

 

Difference between Direct Access, Personal VPN, and Business VPN

In the table below, you can see a detailed comparison of the three options.

[/fusion_text]

DirectAccess Personal VPN Business VPN
Function Provides intranet connectivity to client computers when connected to the Internet Hide online activity, mask user’s location, and bypass geo-blocking and censorship. Used to remotely access internal network resources securely.
Purposes Corporate use Personal / Recreational use Corporate use
Simultaneous Connections As needed Very Limited (less than 10) As needed
Remote Access Yes No Yes
User & Control Access Management Yes No Yes
Bypass ISP throttling No Yes Yes
Bypass Internet Censorship Yes Yes Yes
Unblock websites / access geo-restricted content No Yes Yes (Not all)
Connection Machine-initiated User-initiated User-initiated
Dedicated Account Manager Yes No Yes
Hide Location No Yes Yes
Serviceable Yes No No
Supported Platform Windows Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, etc. Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, etc.
Cost Low Affordable High
Ease of Use Easy Easy Relatively easy
User Maintenance No No Yes

With hundreds of VPNs out there, finding the really good ones that would meet your needs without burning a hole in your pocket might be an overwhelming process, if not an expensive and time-wasting one.

To help you avoid all of that, we’ve tested many VPNs, and these three VPNs are some of the best personal VPNs we can vouch for. There are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and TunnelBear.

 

Best Personal VPNs


Express VPN

ExpressVPN is one of the most reliable and safest VPN services in the world right now.

It is commonly known for its fast servers, which can virtually unblock any website and bypass ISP throttling.

It’s compatible with nearly all the devices you can think of, zero-logging policy, 24/7 live support, and vast network coverage.

SEE Express VPN review


Nord VPN

With Tor compatibility, strict no-logs policy to ensure your total anonymity, specialized servers for torrenting, ads blocking and malware protection, kill switch, and many more features to boot, you can’t go wrong with Nord VPN.

The fact that it’s also one of the cheapest VPN providers in the market is enough reason to get this VPN.

CHECK Nord VPN review


TunnelBear

One of the top VPN providers in the market to offer users a free limited account, TunnelBear offers you a secure way to access the web with its military-grade AES 256-bit encryption.

Easily bypass local censorship with GhostBear mode, prevent IP-based tracking, get automatic Wi-Fi protection, and much more.

READ TunnelBear review


Here is a comparison of these three great options in terms of the most important parameters:

Features

Express VPN

Nord VPN

TunnelBear

Server number

3,000+

5,300+

1,800

Number of countries with servers

94

62

23+

Obfuscated servers

Yes

No

No

Specialized servers

No

Yes

No

Country

British Virgin Island

Panama

Canada

Zero logging policy

Yes Yes

Yes

Kill Switch

Yes

Yes

Yes

Split tunneling

Yes

No

No

Encryption

256-bit AES

256-bit AES

256-bit AES

Torrent Support

Yes

Yes

Yes

Simultaneous connections

5

6

5

Unblocks US Netflix

Yes

Yes

No

Money-back guarantee

30 –days

30 days

No

Free Tier Account

No

No

Yes

Pricing

From $8.32/mo

From $3.71/mo

From $3.33/mo

All three are very good options, we cannot choose our favorite but only recommend all three VPN providers.

Choose the one that seems the most suitable for you based on the table above. 

More VPNs for Windows are here.

For business VPNs, check the next section.

 

Best Business VPNs

If you want to keep your business data safe and communication from data theft and breaches, then a business VPN is a must-have.

Here are currently the three best business VPNs for SMBs and enterprises: Perimeter 81, VyprVPN, and HideMyAss VPN.


Perimeter 81

Perimeter 81 is a feature-rich VPN service that offers businesses a cloud-based alternative to traditional VPN models for secure remote access.

With dedicated global gateways, easy network deployment, DNS filtering, automatic Wi-Fi security, Two-factor authentication, single sign-on capabilities, and a slew of other security features, you can rest assured of protecting your business from security threats and improving your productivity.

READ Perimeter 81 review

CHECK Perimeter 81 offer


VyprVPN for Business

Comes with multiple user management, dedicated account manager, global business servers, dedicated IP (for business cloud), and much more.

With its NAT firewall, which helps block unwanted inbound traffic when connected online, VyprVPN Chameleon protocol to bypass VPN blocking and censorship, and rugged military encryption that keeps your business communication secure and safe, VyprVPN has got your business.

CHECK VyprVPN for Business now


HideMyAss VPN

With 20gbps server speed, worldwide coverage, IP shuffle, Leak shield, Kill Switch, and Zero Log DNS, HMA is the perfect VPN for small businesses without no need for remote access who wants to protect their business from hackers and other security threats.

CHECK HMA VPN for Business


 

Have a look at our comparison table of the three business VPN providers:

Features

Perimeter 81

VyprVPN

HMA

Server number

700

700+

1000

No. of countries with servers

36

65

190

Country

Israel Switzerland

United Kingdom

Dedicated IP

Yes Yes

No

Dedicated Manager

Yes

Yes

No

Account Management

Yes

Yes

No

Zero logging policy

Yes

Yes

Yes

Kill Switch

Yes

Yes

Yes

Split tunneling

Yes

No

No

Encryption

256-bit AES

256-bit AES

256-bit AES

Free Tier Account

No

No

No

Support

Phone, email, and in-app

24/7 live chat & email

Email and live chat

 

We hope this overview article was useful for you and now you decided on the right option for you.

Learn more about the ways VPN can protect you from hackers and the government!

Roman, Data Privacy Researcher

Data Privacy Researcher

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