The popularity of the Internet has grown exponentially in the last decade. Its penetration in our daily lives has been nothing short of a quantum leap in every aspect.
Whether it’s our personal lives or our professional ones, the Internet has become an inevitable part of it.
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Especially for businesses, the Internet has offered immense opportunities. The Internet has enabled them to connect with customers sitting across the globe.
Unfortunately, there is a darker side to the Internet too. The technology that connects people & Businesses also possesses unlimited risks.
The Internet is bustling with hackers. These individuals & organizations are focused on stealing Private data from businesses.
Your system can easily get infected with malicious codes & viruses when you connect with the Internet. Fortunately, there are anti-virus software & tools available for the protection against them.
But do you think these tools are enough? What about the safety of your data when it’s in transit? Hackers can easily target & steal your data when it is in transit.
So what’s the solution to protect your mission-critical data in transit?
Enter VPN or Virtual Private Network. In simple terms, it is a virtual network that masks the origin of any data in transit, making it extremely difficult for hackers to steal it.
Usually, when you communicate with someone via the Internet, your data travels directly from your system to theirs. Hackers can quickly identify the source of data & hack it.
But when you use VPN, the data will travel from your system to the VPN servers, which scramble its origin. In this manner, you can keep your data safe, even in transit.
There are numerous VPN services available in the market right now. In this article, we are going to share a detailed review of one such VPN, NordLayer.
We will discuss its features, pros, cons & Pricing in this detailed review.
So let’s dive in straight!
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What is NordLayer?
We are sure you might have heard about NordVPN. It’s arguably the most well-known VPN service provider for individual users & proprietary businesses.
On the contrary, NordLayer is specifically designed to serve businesses & Enterprises across the world.
The core structure of NordLayer is almost similar to that of NordVPN. Apart from the standard features like lightning speed & the ability to connect with different locations, there are many additional features in NordLayer.
The difference is clearly visible in its UI & various tools, e.g., the facility that allows employees to access secure connections from any location. In short, NordLayer is much more than your standard VPN service. It’s a full-suite & secure network access solution.
What are the primary features of NordLayer
Fully secure AES 256-bit encryption
The most critical feature of any VPN service has to be the security of data. And NordLayer gets full marks in it. With AES 256-bit encryption, NordLayer provides unmatched security to your data in transit.
Apart from this, you can also offer specific permissions & create gateways for certain employees via Control Panel.
The Kill switch
This feature got our attention as soon as we laid hands on the NordLayer! This is a unique feature that comes with NordLayer. Whenever your internet connection fails even for a fraction of a second, The Kill Switch will terminate all internet activities.
This is done to ensure none of your Private information or mission-critical data is exposed to hackers.
Ultimate Security
While choosing any VPN service, you will expect to offer Ultimate Security of your Data. And NordLayer doesn’t disappoint.
Apart from AES 256-bit encryption, it also creates private gateways, a facility of Single Sign-On with Azura, G-suite, etc. & 2FA. There is an option to create dedicated servers for your specific users. This will ensure they will have their personal IPs.
Servers from 33 Countries
NordLayer comes with the option to choose your servers from 33 countries, including Norway, Romania, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Slovakia, Serbia, Singapore, Portugal, etc.
The number of countries is lower than NordVPN, but it compensates with other more advanced security features.
Simple & elegant UI
NordLayer comes with a super elegant design that makes it easy to use. The location selector is simple, all you have to do is choose a country from the list & you are good to go. Other features are readily available too.
The last thing you need from any VPN service is a cumbersome UI that takes ages to get acquainted with. Fortunately, that’s not the case with NordLayer.
Some additional NordLayer Features:
- Network Access Control (IP Whitelisting) to set access permissions across the Network
- Jailbroken / rooted device detection to alert you about vulnerable devices on your network.
- Biometric authentication for the additional security layer
- Next-gen site-to-site tunneling for secure access to company resources
- Custom private gateway creation for easy network segmentation
- Threat-block malware protection (including DNS filtering) to reduce the risk of malicious threats
- Single Sign-On (SSO) with Azure AD, One Login, Okta & G Suite
- Smart Access for creating a virtual LAN between servers & company devices
What is the pricing structure of NordLayer?
NordLayer offers two packages, viz. Basic & Advanced. If you want a fully customized network security system, they have that option too. The best part is, they have a centralized billing process. So, just one invoice will be generated for your whole organization, making the billing process simpler.
The Basic plan will cost you $9 per user/month if it’s billed monthly. If it’s billed annually, it will cost you $7 per user/month.
This plan will include all the basic features like Cloud VPN, Kill switch, two-factor authentication, Control Panel, Auto-connect, Shared Access to 33 server locations, etc.
The advanced plan will cost you $11 per user/month if it is billed monthly. It is billed annually; it will cost you $ 9 per user/month. It includes all the Basic Plan features, dedicated servers, dedicated account management & Priority 24×7 support.
What are the advantages of choosing NordLayer?
Here is the list of some advantages of choosing NordLayer
- A trusted name in the field of Network Security solution providers
- Offers redundant security to your Network
- Secures your Precious data from malicious attacks
- It doesn’t need a unique infrastructure. It can be installed on your existing system within minutes.
- Fully dynamic, scalable & tailored for Enterprises.
- Dedicated servers for better security
What are the Cons of choosing NordLayer?
NordLayer is an excellent VPN solution for businesses & enterprises. But still, it does have a few disadvantages like:
- It is expensive as compared to other VPNs.
- Some users have complained that sometimes it reduces internet speed.
- Occasionally, some random servers try to connect several times to it.
- NordLayr offers servers from 32 countries only, while NordVPN offers servers from 55 countries.
Who wins the NordLayer vs expressVPN battle?
Both VPN solutions are well known across the industry. So it is obvious there will be a comparison.
Let’s take a look at how they fare against each other.
Where does NordLayer lead?
- Downloading speed is way better with NordLayer
- It has a number of overall servers as compared to ExpressVPN
- CyberSec, an add-blocking tool, is available on NordLayer
Where does ExpressVPN lag?
- It’s not suitable for Enterprise-grade Businesses
- They’re after-sales service is not on par with that of NordLayer
During our hands-on review, we found that whether it is NordLayer vs. Surfshark or NordLayer vs. ProtonVpn, NordLayer fared better on almost every front.
That doesn’t mean other alternatives are inefficient, but NordLayer is more suitable for enterprises & Large Businesses.
Is NordLayer worth your money?
VPN is the most efficient & dependable way to secure your data in transit. Especially for the Businesses for whom privacy is paramount, VPNs are like a boon.
NordLayer checks all the boxes for an excellent Enterprise-grade VPN solution for any business.
It offers robust security, efficient UI, secure Encryption & great control to the administrators. It enables your employees to access your company’s data. The best part is, NordLayer is fully scalable & can grow with your business.
So the answer to the above question is, if you are an Enterprise looking for a dependable VPN service, NordLayer is definitely worth your money.
Final Thoughts
NordLayer is a highly dependable & efficient Dynamic Network Access security solution. It is fully adaptable & can sync with your business goals. Equipped with all the necessary security tools, it can protect your private data & remote workforce.
It fares well in terms of numerous features as compared to its peers. So if you are looking for a complete network solution, NordLayer is a great choice for you.
