We’re going to look at VDI vs. VPN vs. RDS and discuss the differences.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world shifted to work from home. In fact, many organizations started giving remote work options to their employees.

And as a result, online security has become a primary consideration for everyone, especially business organizations.

After all, keeping your organizational data and processes safe is as important as keeping your business running.

No doubt, there are numerous advantages of working from home for both employers and employees.

With the increasing popularity of working from home in the workspace, the number of cybercriminals and hackers also increased.

Hackers know that most people may willingly or unknowingly compromise on security aspects to satisfy their business needs.

Moreover, any breach of organizational data can be a costly affair.

This is more vital when it’s about losing the company’s reputation, as it can take a lot of time to gain consumers’ trust and overcome such losses.

So, it’s essential to evaluate the remote work options and select wisely.

The most popular ones are Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Virtual Private Network (VPN), and Remote Desktop Services (RDS).

But the main question is which one of these is a better option.

We’re going to discuss VDI vs. VPN vs. RDS, however, before moving ahead with our main topic, let us take a quick look at some of the best VPN providers available on the market.

4 Best VPNs in 2023

1. NordVPN – 🏆 Winner!
2. Surfshark
3. Atlas VPN
4. ExpressVPN

1. NordVPN

NordVPN consistently is and is currently the best VPN provider on the market.

With its fast speed, outstanding encryption, and competitive price, it appears to check off all the boxes and outperform all its competitors.

In fact, if you ask anyone to suggest a VPN service, NordVPN will be one of the providers on their list. 

If you’re a VPN user, you might already know that the faster the VPN connection, the better the provider is. And that’s where NordVPN excels.

It has a Quick Connect feature that automatically connects your device to one of the fastest VPN servers.

That way, the VPN provider ensures to offer you an immediate connection the moment you use your VPN. 

However, if you’re someone who needs to get around any geo-restrictions, you can do so with NordVPN.

You can easily choose a VPN server in a particular region to bypass geo-blocks.

Moreover, in such a case, you can’t use Quick Connect; instead, you’ll have to manually choose a server from the long list. 

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NordVPN is also registered in Panama, a privacy-friendly region outside the 14, 9, and 5 Eyes Alliances.

If you don’t know, it’s a western alliance of countries that exchanges information and uses mass surveillance.

That’s a huge sign of relief for every NordVPN user. 

Moreover, even if a VPN service has a zero-logging user privacy policy and is registered in a country that is a member of the 14, 9, or 5 Eyes Alliance, using such a VPN provider is in no way an intelligent choice.

That’s because all your sensitive data risk is getting into the hands of any third-party individuals. 

Fortunately, Panama doesn’t have this sort of invasive data retention law.

Therefore all NordVPN users can peacefully breathe, knowing that they can hold this provider to the highest standard in terms of online privacy and security.

Also, NordVPN strictly follows a verified zero-log policy, which is a plus point. 

Furthermore, NordVPN has a CyberSec suite that offers an in-build ad-blocking, protection from phishing scams, and malware defense.

The entire suite is available on the NordVPN apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, and iOS. However, it’s yet to be included in the app for the Android version. 

Regarding security, NordVPN uses AES 256-bit gold-standard encryption algorithm to secure your online data. This encryption algorithm employs asymmetric key encryption.

It means AES 256-bit applies the same key for encryption and decryption. In fact, it’s more advance than the AES 128-bit and 128-bit encryption. 

Moreover, the AES 128-bit encryption is even used by government and military personnel to safeguard their confidential information.

So, you might have already guessed how secured NordVPN is. In fact, we’re glad to know that the provider uses the highest standard VPN encryption. 

Also, the AES 128-bit encryption is coupled with the 2048-bit DH key, SHA2-382 authentication, and PFS (Perfect Forward Secrecy).

The PFS offers a unique key within each NordVPN login.

Therefore, your user activities are refreshed each time you log on to your VPN service. What more can anyone wish for?

2. Surfshark

It’s impossible to talk about the best VPN without mentioning Surfshark VPN. It’s one of the most popular providers, thanks to its alluring price point.

In fact, Surfshark is one of the most affordable VPN services in the market today. But that doesn’t mean it offers fewer services than its competitors. 

Surfshark is one of those VPN providers that follows a solid no-logging privacy policy. This means it’ll never track or store your IP addresses, DNS queries, or online browsing history.

However, the provider stores some information, including your initial account sign-up info (your encrypted password, payment info, and email address). 

Another remarkable thing about Surfshark is that the company is registered in the British Virgin Islands, which isn’t a member of the 14, 9, or 5 Eyes Alliances.

In fact, there are no data retention laws in the British Virgin Islands. Therefore, Surfshark never stores its customer data, so you won’t have to worry about your online privacy. 

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In addition to its privacy-friendly location, Surfshark comes with an in-build ad and malware blocker known as CleanWeb.

This tool is capable of preventing all sorts of phishing attempts. In fact, as per reports, it works pretty well on websites that include annoying ads, such as YouTube.

Now, isn’t it amazing? 

Moreover, by blocking unwanted ads and malware, the CleanWeb tool of Surfshark VPN also improves your internet browsing speed.

That’s because ads and malware can start slower browsing. Also, Surfshark has a fantastic tool called “Surfshark Search” (formerly known as “BlindSearch.”

The “Surfshark Search” tool allows you to search privately and safely on the internet. Moreover, it’s a no-log privacy policy for this unique search tool.

Therefore, your online search results won’t alter according to your search history; you don’t need to worry about cleaning your record as it’ll get cleared by itself. 

Furthermore, Surfshark is a VPN company that genuinely values its user security.

That’s why it offers its customers high-end features such as DNS and IP leak protection, military-grade encryption, and a kill switch.

The kill switch is one of the best features of Surfshark VPN as it protects you when nothing else can. 

Surfshark’s kill switch feature automatically disconnects your connection whenever your VPN connection drops for any reason, preventing your traffic or data from being leaked.

You just need to head over to the settings of this VPN and simply enable the kill switch button. Moreover, we advise you to keep it ON always. 

Additionally, Surfshark VPN employs a military-grade AES 256-bit encryption algorithm, the highest level of encryption.

It ensures that all your online activities and data are safe and hidden from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or third parties.

It has several security protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2, Wireguard, L2TP, and Shadowsocks. 

3. Atlas VPN

Another excellent VPN provider on our list is the Atlas VPN. It typically comes with a fantastic free tier.

However, you can get more (features, security, and privacy) if you’re willing to pay a small monthly subscription fee.

That’s why it’s a freemium service (a combination of free and premium VPN services). 

Atlas VPN is one of the newly introduced providers of VPN services.

It’s based in the United States of America and is owned by Nord Security, a tech giant that also owns Surfshark and NordVPN.

Although Atlas VPN was acquired by Nord Security in 2021, it still works independently. 

Despite being new to the VPN world, Atlas VPN has made a name for itself. In fact, to our surprise, today, it’s considered one of the leading providers on the market.

And the best thing about Atlas VPN is that it comes with a free tier, so you can use it even if you don’t want to pay for a VPN service. 

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Moreover, regarding its ‘freemium’ business model, a number of unique features are kept locked so that only customers paying for the Premium tier can enjoy these.

This includes most servers, locations, the fastest speeds, and Android and Amazon Fire TV apps. 

Earlier, the free tier had no bandwidth limit; now, it’s 10GB a month. But, it’s not the same in the case of mobile apps; you currently get 2GB a day on Android and iOS apps.

Moreover, as per the news, Atlas VPN provider will soon change it to the same 10GB monthly limit, which can be good or bad, depending on your need. 

Many people worldwide use a VPN service to stream content, like watching movies on Amazon or Netflix that aren’t available in their region.

If you’re also one of them, you can use Atlas VPN. The premium tier of this VPN is capable of unblocking many streaming services like BBC iPlayer and Disney+.

Additionally, Atlas VPN is OK with using its service for P2P (Peer-to-Peer) downloads, such as torrent files.

The provider has over 750 servers, and its network covers 44 locations and 31 countries worldwide. Its VPN server coverage is weakest in Asia and most vital in Europe. 

On top of these, Atlas VPN has a cool new feature called SafeSwap servers, which are available for three locations: Singapore, the Netherlands, and the United States.

Rather than offering you a single IP address and sticking with the same when your connection is active, this tool keeps changing your IP address.

That way, it provides you more privacy. 

Atlas VPN apps are available for Mac, Android, Windows, and iOS. However, as of now, it doesn’t have any browser extensions.

Moreover, the premium subscribers have apps for Android TVs and Amazon’s Fire TV devices. Hence, it’s always a better option to get its subscription so that you can enjoy it to the fullest. 

Furthermore, the USA-based VPN provider also has two new features: Tracker Blocker and Data Breach Monitor.

The first warns you of dangerous websites and helps stop tracking cookies and monitoring your online behavior.

The other one watches your email address and notifies you if they appear on the dark web. 

4. ExpressVPN

With hundreds of VPN providers on the market today, it’s tough for a provider to stand out.

But not for ExpressVPN, All thanks to its unique features, comprehensive server network coverage, and compatibility.

One thing is for sure, whether you’re using a VPN for gaming, streaming, torrenting, or keeping yourself anonymous and safe online, this provider is up to the task.

ExpressVPN is registered in the British Virgin Islands, a region that is privacy-friendly and is away from the 14, 9, and 5 Eyes Alliances.

If you don’t know, these vast alliances of different countries exchange sensitive data and use mass surveillance. Luckily, the British Virgin Islands aren’t a part of these. 

This makes the British Virgin Island one of the best places to employ VPN-related services.

ExpressVPN is based in this location, so you don’t need to worry if your online activities are being monitored or not.

Apart from that, it also follows a solid no-logs policy, which makes the service even more impressive. 

The provider doesn’t monitor or store your confidential information, including user data, online traffic, DNS queries, and websites visited.

However, ExpressVPN keeps your initial account sign-up info, such as payment info and email address, to offer good services. 

Speaking of encryption, ExpressVPN comes with the best-in-business military-grade AES 256-bit encryption.

It’s the highest standard encryption algorithm that even government bodies and military personnel use to protect their sensitive information from hackers and third parties. 

VDI vs. VPN vs. RDS: Which One is Best for Remote Access?

While looking at VDI vs. VPN vs. RDS, there are many different things to consider for a business organization to make the best choice for their company.

Here are a few of them so that you can ultimately decide whether to choose VDI or VPN or RDS for your organization:

• Security: As far as safety is concerned, when you look at VDI vs. VPN vs. RDS, a VPN provider can easily beat the other ones. That’s because the leading VPN providers we’ve mentioned on our list use AES 128-bit encryption which is currently the standard. However, both VDI and RDS can also safeguard your data.
• Usability: When looking at VDI vs. VPN vs. RDS, one of the things to consider is their usability. The user-friendliness with a VPN provider mainly depends on the user’s operating system and devices. However, a VDI is more scalable and quicker because of resource virtualization, but it can be pretty hard to maintain and configure. Similarly, if you choose RDS, you can run into a similar problem.
• Setup and Maintenance: It’s essential to see which among the three offers easy design and maintenance while looking at VDI vs. VPN vs. RDS. While setting and maintaining a VPN is straightforward, the installation process of the other two is quite complex and challenging.

FAQs

In Summary, the best VPNs in 2023 are;

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve talked about VDI vs. VPN vs. RDS. The above discussion clearly shows that a VPN is best in most aspects.

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If you consider using a VPN, we recommend NordVPN as it’s currently the best provider available on the market.