If you’re a small or medium business in the UK, you’ve probably dealt with the complexities and headaches of managing a traditional Virtual Private network, VPN. They can be difficult to configure, prone to security vulnerabilities, and often grant more access than necessary.
Fortunately, there's a new alternative designed to address these challenges: Microsoft Entra Private Network Access.
The Problems with Legacy VPNs
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have been the go-to solution for remote access, but they come with significant issues. They often:
Require complex setup and ongoing management.
Can create security risks if not configured properly.
Offer broad network access, exposing more of your infrast
ructure than needed.
Slow down connections, leading to poor user experiences.
Traditional VPNs essentially open the doors to your entire network, which can be overkill when employees just need access to specific apps. Moreover, making changes to your network infrastructure such as updating your router or changing your IP address can cause significant downtime.
#1: Enter Microsoft Entra Private Network Access
Microsoft Entra Private Network Access addresses these problems by providing a cloud-based, safer way to connect remote users to on-premises applications. Built on Zero Trust principles, it allows businesses to specify exactly which applications each user can access, and nothing more. This offers far more control and security compared to traditional VPNs.
How is it Different from a VPN?
Microsoft Entra Private Network Access differs from legacy VPNs in several crucial ways:
Granular Access Control: Unlike VPNs, which typically grant access to the entire network, Private Network Access enables you to define which applications users can access. This limits unnecessary exposure and reduces the attack surface.
Enhanced Security: Using a Zero Trust model, Microsoft Entra Private Network Access verifies every user and device before allowing access. Integrating with services like Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Defender, it provides advanced security features like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and real-time threat monitoring.
Simplified Management: Managing VPNs can be complicated. In contrast, Microsoft Entra Private Network Access is designed to be easy to manage from the cloud, removing the need for extensive manual configurations.
Improved Performance: VPNs can slow down network traffic, but Private Network Access ensures a seamless user experience with faster, more reliable connections.
#2: Licensing and Prerequisites for Microsoft Private Network Access: What You Need to Know
When considering Microsoft Entra Private Network Access for your business, understanding the licensing and prerequisites is crucial, especially if you're already using Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Let’s explore how these plans relate to Microsoft Entra Private Network Access, and what additional requirements you may need to consider, particularly for businesses with on-premises servers.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard v Microsoft 365 Business Premium
If your business already subscribes to Microsoft 365 Business Standard, this plan primarily covers office productivity tools (such as Word, Excel, and Teams) and basic security features. However, it does not include some advanced security and management features needed for Microsoft Private Network Access. While this plan is excellent for day-to-day operations, it lacks the comprehensive security infrastructure required to support Private Network Access.
On the other hand, Microsoft 365 Business Premium provides the additional security features necessary for businesses looking to implement Private Network Access. Here's how it enhances your ability to use this service:
Advanced Security Features: Microsoft 365 Premium includes capabilities like Azure Active Directory Premium, which is essential for managing user identities and enforcing security policies such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access. These features are crucial for the Zero Trust security model employed by Private Network Access.
Conditional Access and Device Compliance: With Premium, you can ensure that only secure, compliant devices can access your on-premises applications. The ability to enforce device security policies (such as requiring antivirus software or updated operating systems) makes this a vital feature.
Azure AD Integration: Microsoft 365 Premium integrates with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), which serves as the backbone for managing access to Private Network Access. Azure AD allows you to set granular permissions, ensuring users can only access specific applications, not the entire network, thus minimising security risks.
Microsoft Business Defender and Microsoft Intune are also included as part of the of Business Premium subscriptions.
In summary, while Microsoft Business 365 Standard does not offer the necessary security framework for Entra Private Network Access, Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes all the advanced security features and identity management tools you’ll need.
Prerequisites for Microsoft Private Network Access
To implement Microsoft Entra Private Network Access, there are a few prerequisites and considerations, especially if your business operates with on-premises servers. These include:
Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD):
Azure Active Directory is required to authenticate and manage user identities. Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes Azure AD Premium, which provides the necessary tools to set conditional access policies, enforce multi-factor authentication, and manage user identities securely.
This identity-centric approach ensures that only authorised users, from compliant devices, can access specific applications on your network.
On-Premises Connector:
This is a lightweight software agent that must be installed on your on-premises infrastructure. The on-premises connector creates a secure tunnel between your local network and Microsoft’s cloud, allowing for seamless and secure communication. The software agent needs to be installed on a Microsoft Server that is a minimum of Windows Server 2012.
For businesses running on-premises servers, this connector needs to be configured properly to allow secure access from the cloud to your on-premises apps.
Global Secure Access:
Global Secure Access is the service that facilitates secure connections between your users and your on-premises applications. It integrates with the Microsoft cloud to ensure all connections are encrypted and secure.
Server Licensing Requirements:
If you have on-premises servers, you need to ensure that they are licensed properly. Microsoft Private Network Access interacts with your on-premises servers, so you’ll need appropriate Windows Server licences in place.
Specifically, you'll require a licensed version of Windows Server, and for each user or device that connects to these on-premises resources, you’ll need a Client Access Licence (CAL).
Azure AD Premium and Global Secure Access are not sufficient by themselves to connect users to applications hosted on on-premises servers without the appropriate server licensing in place.
Additional Licensing Considerations
Microsoft Private Network Access is part of the Microsoft Entra Suite, which may require additional licence depending on your business size and infrastructure. Here’s a breakdown:
Microsoft 365 Business Premium: As mentioned earlier, this plan includes the necessary security features like Azure AD Premium. However, Private Network Access itself may require an upgrade to the Microsoft Entra Suite, depending on your usage.
Client Access Licences (CALs): If you're running on-premises servers (like Windows Server), you’ll need to ensure each user or device accessing these servers has the appropriate Client Access Licence (CAL).
Benefits of Microsoft 365 Business Premium for Private Network Access
Opting for Microsoft 365 Premium offers several key advantages when using Microsoft Private Network Access:
Enhanced Security: The premium plan provides critical security tools like Azure AD Premium, multi-factor authentication, and conditional access, all of which are necessary to implement a Zero Trust model.
Simplified Identity Management: With Azure AD Premium, managing user identities and ensuring that only the right people access the right applications is much easier and more secure.
Device Compliance: With the premium plan, you can ensure that only compliant devices (those that meet your security requirements) are allowed to connect to your on-premises applications.
Licensing and Costs
Microsoft Private Network Access is included in the Microsoft Entra Suite, making it an affordable option for small to medium-sized businesses. With the added value of built-in security features and easy management, it can significantly reduce the operational overhead and costs associated with managing traditional VPN infrastructure.
#3: Benefits for UK Small and Medium Businesses
Reduced IT Overhead: Simplify your IT infrastructure by eliminating complex VPN configurations. Entra Private Network Access is easy to set up and manage through the Microsoft Entra admin centre.
Improved Productivity: Employees can securely access the applications they need from anywhere, without struggling with slow or unreliable VPN connections.
Enhanced Security: With Zero Trust principles, multi-factor authentication, and threat protection from Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, your sensitive data is better protected.
Seamless Network Changes: Easily accommodate changes to your network infrastructure like updating routers or changing IP addresses, without impacting user access.
Business Continuity: Maintain access to your critical on-premises applications even in the event of a network failure, thanks to automatic fallback to a backup connection.
A deep dive video from Microsoft is below :-
Final Thoughts
If you're currently on Microsoft 365 Business Standard, upgrading to Microsoft 365 Business Premium will be essential to fully benefit from Microsoft Private Network Access. With the enhanced security features, simplified management, and robust identity controls provided in the premium plan, your business can securely connect users to on-premises and cloud-based applications without the need for a traditional VPN.
For businesses running on-premises servers, ensuring you have the correct Windows Server licences and Client Access Licences (CALs) is also critical for seamless integration with Microsoft’s cloud-based Private Network Access.
By ensuring you have the right licensing and prerequisites in place, your business can transition away from VPN headaches and embrace a more secure, streamlined solution that offers enhanced flexibility, security, and productivity for both remote and on-site workers.
Say Goodbye to VPN Hassles
Microsoft Private Network Access is a secure, flexible, and cost-effective solution for businesses looking to move beyond the limitations of traditional VPNs. Whether you’re aiming to boost productivity, improve security, or streamline network management, this modern solution is worth considering.
Want to learn more? Contact us today to learn how Microsoft Private Network Access can benefit your business. As Microsoft partners, OCM are experts in Microsoft 365 Deployment.
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