What is a Wireguard VPN? 

The favorite encryption protocol for enterprises, Perimeter 81’s Wireguard VPN results in faster connections, lower latency and superior security performance.

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15.12.2020

8 min read

What is WireGuard?

WireGuard VPNs are the same virtual private networking solutions that many already know and use, but they run on a different encryption protocol called WireGuard, as opposed to alternatives such as OpenVPN, IPSec and others.

WireGuard – and encryption in general – is important for companies small and large, as they allow employees to access resources from anywhere in the world while their connection remains secure.

Resources include any tools, software, applications or even local environments where work gets done – servers for storage, third-party applications, and even cloud SaaS products.

Traffic between remote users in the company – often on unsecured devices or Wi-Fi networks – and these important resources remains private, and encrypted, when IT managers enforce access through the WireGuard protocol.

The special element of WireGuard that has so convinced IT professionals to switch over is its smaller codebase.

At just 4,000 lines it is extremely easy to implement and audit for security, and does its job faster and more efficiently – putting less strain on the network while achieving the best security that encryption can offer.

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WireGuard vs OpenVPN: Which Wins?

When comparing OpenVPN and WireGuard, it’s important to consider the strength of encryption but also speed, and flexibility in terms of how easily it can be integrated into different networks. 

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is an open source protocol that was invented in 2001, and despite its age most encryption tools support it, and so it has become the most popular of all VPN alternatives on the market.

It is very flexible and offers a range of supported cryptographic algorithms, which make it easy to integrate almost anywhere.

However, these advantages also come with a cost. OpenVPN’s flexibility also comes with an enormous codebase amounting to hundreds of thousands of lines of code, so it can be incredibly difficult to audit, and to ensure that the attack surface is adequately protected.

WireGuard

WireGuard, on the other hand, boasts a lightweight codebase of just 4,000 lines, making it extraordinarily auditable. Its slimmer range of supported cryptographic algorithms may be limiting in some cases, but this also narrows the attack surface significantly, providing great encryption to all traffic sources.

The primary advantage to a WireGuard VPN, however, is its speed. Enterprises are reporting lower latency and faster upload and download speeds by as much as 40% over alternatives.

This simple idea finally removes the compromise between work productivity and security for companies switching their Business VPNs to WireGuard. As of today, WireGuard is the best OpenVPN alternative

How Does a WireGuard VPN Work?

WireGuard VPN providers offer a simple application that is installed on personal or company devices, that grant employees of the company secure access to crucial resources like cloud-based SaaS tools, local data storage, and other solutions.

The employee simply needs to ensure that he or she is connected to the WireGuard client before trying to access company resources (like logging into Salesforce), otherwise they will not succeed.

The WireGuard VPN server establishes a tunnel between the employee and the corporate network upon successful login, so that afterward any resource within the network can be reached privately, without anyone being able to eavesdrop on the employee’s connection.

The WireGuard VPN tunnel uses WireGuard protocol, which is a cryptographically secure approach to managing public keys, but it can support different algorithms including ChaCha20 for symmetric encryption, Poly1305 for authentication, BLAKE2s for hashing, UDP as the TLP and HKDF for key creation.

It’s also important to know that WireGuard uses public key encryption rather than certificate management. This is part of its lesser complexity and a central reason why it reduces the network’s attack surface, leaving hackers with few options for how to breach inside.

 Why Should My Company Use a WireGuard VPN?

It’s almost impossible to come across an enterprise level company that doesn’t have both local and cloud-based solutions in its network, and this idea alone makes it necessary to have an agile cloud friendly WireGuard VPN.

With over 96% of companies having moved their infrastructure to the cloud – things like file storage, administration, data analysis, finance and more – it’s crucial that protective measures allow smooth yet inclusive access to these environments.

Moreover, as employees increasingly use their own devices for work, WireGuard VPN is even more relevant for its thorough coverage of diverse endpoints.

Using an alternative hardware-based VPN or a VPN that was introduced decades ago means incompatibility and a loss of efficiency across the organization.

Though solutions like OpenVPN or IPSec VPNs provide encryption, they are not agile enough to handle multiple connections consistently without crashing tunnels or slow speeds, in many cases.

There’s also the idea that WireGuard VPNs are often packaged in the most cutting-edge network and security solutions, which include the ability for IT teams to segment traffic and restrict access based on user identifiers.

WireGuard providers can therefore provide a more holistic approach on top of mere encryption, which stops insider attacks in their tracks.

Beyond the threat of insider attacks or accidental exposure lies the idea that employees’ daily security hygiene and habits are themselves a risk.

Remote work is more popular than ever, and employees are enjoying BYOD – Bring Your Own Device – rules and work from home in greater numbers. Employers’ networks are taking a new shape during this remote work era, and access is occurring from the edge rather than within the traditional perimeter.

Using an older VPN, hardware solutions, or less comprehensive and cloud-native security solutions is negligent under these conditions. Adept solutions include WireGuard by default, as it more capably encourages the user-centric security approach necessary to keep modern networks safe. 

All this is to say that WireGuard VPNs and WireGuard providers – solutions that include the WireGuard protocol – are safer, faster, but also more cost-efficient than others.

 WireGuard VPN Protocol Performances

WireGuard is the VPN Protocol that offers the highest Bandwidth (3.87x higher than OpenVPN) and the Lowest Latency (with a Ping Time that is 3.2x Lower than OpenVPN).

Simply put, WireGuard enables the exchange of more data in less time.

The boosted employee productivity, better network visibility, better security, lower latency and faster speeds free up IT to work on projects that are closer to the bottom line, and aid them in establishing a confident and low-touch security model that scales as the organization expands.

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Protect Your Network with WireGuard

Highlighting the Benefits of a WireGuard VPN Solution

1. Full visibility across the network
2. Seamless integration with cloud and SaaS
3. Faster, lower-latency remote access
4. Enforce encryption before work occurs
5. Effortlessly scale across the company

What Perimeter 81 WireGuard VPN Solution includes

Unify Network and Security
One cloud panel capable of micro segmentation, access management, monitoring, encryption, and more.

Multi-Tenant Cloud Platform
Set up multiple networks, branch offices, and local WireGuard gateways for your users across the world.

Easy to Use Applications
Support for 2FA and single sign-on, across mobile devices using iOS and Android, PC and Mac desktops and the web.

Zero Trust Network Access
Requiring both user and device authentication, this multilayered model hinges security on users, not perimeters.

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How Your Company Can Use Our WireGuard VPN Solution

Security on All Devices: BYOD policies multiply the number and variety of devices connecting to your network. WireGuard VPNs allow authorized, secure access for all devices and remote workers no matter the details.

Cloud Agnostic Integration: The ease with which an enterprise VPN integrates into any cloud-based platform or service (as well as local environments) enables organizations to protect all their resources in unified fashion.

Superior Quality Assurance: Connecting to the VPN through a diverse global server array helps the QA and marketing teams determine how best to target different markets, and how successful current efforts are.

Safe Remote Access: Automatic Wi-Fi security lets remote workers connect to sensitive resources from the public internet without fear of exposure, while encrypted tunnels shield data sharing from prying eyes.

Precise User Segmentation: Beyond the capabilities of traditional VPNs, the addition of granular policy-based permissioning helps organizations exercise greater control over those entering their network.

IP Whitelisting: Explicitly define the IP addresses that are allowed to access the network, granting IT teams a stronger grip on security and also the ability to assign static IPs to automatically trusted sources of traffic.

The Perimeter 81 WireGuard VPN Service Includes:

• One-click Cloud VPN network deployment
• User-friendly applications for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS
• Manage cloud resources in a unified platform
• 24/7 knowledgeable customer support
• Unlimited bandwidth and data availability
• Automatic Wi-Fi security
• Comprehensive auditing and reporting capabilities
• Multiple global private and public VPN gateways