Perimeter 81 Review - VPN Solutions For Business

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Perimeter 81 At A Glance

Best For: Businesses that want to deploy a modern alternative to traditional corporate VPN systems

Price: From $8.00/month per user 

Location: Over 700 servers in more than 36 locations worldwide

Logging: One connection per account paid for

Number of Devices: Client applications are available for Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS. Users can also configure connections from Linux computers or even set up a connection file on their network router.

Browser Extensions: Chrome

Privacy

The company does collect internal connection logs, which are intended to be used by system administrators at the client. This log is also available via an Activity API which provides a complete breakdown of all administrative and infrastructure changes on the account. 

As you’d expect of a product developed by cybersecurity software geeks, Perimeter 81 is all about security. Its corporate VPN alternative solutions are designed so businesses can grant secure, remote access to all authorized employees—and keep everyone else out.

Perimeter 81 is one of the most secure VPNs for business on the market, backed by a Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP). “What is an SDP?” we hear you ask.  In Perimeter 81’s own words, “SDP allows organizations to restrict network access and provide customized, manageable and secure access to networked systems. Connectivity is based on the need-to-know-model, meaning each device and identity must be verified before being granted access to the network.” SDPs offer an even greater level of protection compared to traditional perimeter-based approach, and have been proved to stop all forms of network attacks, including distributed denial-of-service (DDOS), Man-in-the-Middle, Server Query, and Advanced Persistent Threat. 

Features

The Business package comes equipped with these features:

• Shared servers in 35 locations
• Automatically protects employees’ devices when they log onto unsecured public WiFi
• Unlimited data usage
• Login via single sign-on providers such as SAML, LDAP, Active Directory, Touch ID, 2-Factor Authentication, and more 
• Cloud management platform, with remote access for all employees as defined by user permissions
• Option of deploying private servers in a remote location, on your premises, or in the cloud, allowing you to restrict access to specific resources to dedicated IPs 
• Activity reports and analytics, allowing you to monitor logins, app connections, and connections to unsecured WiFi

The Enterprise package offers all the features included in the Business package, as well as the following:

• Advanced configuration, enabling you to manage aspects of your network (eg. Firewall, subnets) and your application (e.g. VPN protocols, automatic WiFi security). 
• VPN server management and monitoring, so you can: manage server locations, monitor the number of users, and monitor latency.
• Activity API, with instant alerts on login activity and other critical issues.

The Speed Test 

Perimeter81’s network is generally reported to be fast, as the company is focused on provisioning and maintaining top-quality servers for the needs of its corporate users.

Pricing and Deals

The Essentials plan costs $8/month per team member when paid annually plus a $40 additional fee for using a dedicated gateway. The monthly cost of the Premium package rises to $10/month per team member. The Enterprise package, which includes the Activity API, 24/7 priority support, and custom configuration is quoted on an individual basis.

All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Torrents

Perimeter81 is designed to help remote workers securely connect to their companies’ networks without many of the traditional inconveniences of self-managed corporate VPNs. 

Torrenting, and other P2P traffic sharing protocols, are not really intended use-cases. Unsurprisingly, Perimeter81’s terms of service actually lists torrenting (download/upload) as a grounds for denial of service.

Netflix

Likewise, Netflix viewing is not an intended use-case for Perimeter81. That being said, we have seen reported that many of the US-based servers do, in fact, work to unblock Netflix.

Client Setup

Unlike other corporate VPN services, Perimeter 81 doesn’t require any hardware or manual configuration. It runs on software, is scalable, and integrates seamlessly with the cloud.

When you sign up with Perimeter 81, you get a full management platform where you can build, manage and secure your network. You can give network access to as many team members as you like, assign them to specific groups, and add and remove user permissions with a single click. 

Every team member receives a link to download Perimeter 81’s single-click VPN client to their devices. Depending on your company’s security settings, you can have users log into their client using various third-party identity tools (such as Google), 2-step authentication, Duo Security, or SMS authentication.

Apps

Perimeter81 provides apps for iOS and Android. These allow users to connect through the Perimeter81 network from their handheld devices. The Android app features:

• Two-factor authentication support.
• Single Sign On (SSO) integration.
• The ability to use the dedicated global IP address.

The Android and iOS apps can be downloaded from the Android Play Store and iTunes. Additionally, the company maintains a .pkg format installation file for directly installing to iOS. 

How Does Perimeter81 Compare?

Customer Support

As you’d expect of an enterprise VPN service, Perimeter offers all its clients dedicated 24/7 support for technical and billing inquiries. New customers can request a demo by filling out a short online form on Perimeter 81’s website and entering their name, email address, phone number, and some basic details about their company.

Ease of Use

From the perspective of remote workers, Perimeter81 is much easier to use than a traditional corporate VPN model. Users simply have to put their organization’s connection credentials into the connection client.

From the system administrator’s perspective, being able to deploy a company-wide VPN network using Perimeter81 is also much easier than having to configure the same system from scratch. The tool makes it easy to create and assign connection policies, segregate users into groups, and create and enforce connection policies.

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FAQs

What is Perimeter81?

Primarily a service for creating a private VPN network for a distributed team of workers.

How does Perimeter81 differ from a consumer VPN?

The focus is on allowing administrators to create a network which can support granular security and access policy enforcement. Certain behaviors, such as torrenting, contravene the terms of service.

Can Ubuntu users use the network?

Yes. Although there is no GUI.

Bottom Line

Perimeter 81 represents the next phase in VPN solutions, enabling businesses to maintain complete privacy and security over all their online activities—even when their employees are spread around the world. The service runs entirely on cloud-based software, is easy to learn and configure, and completely scalable.