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BREACH BRIEF⚪ Informational Advisory

ZDNet Reviews Top VPN Solutions for Small Businesses in 2026

ZDNet evaluated leading VPN providers—Surfshark, Proton VPN, NordLayer, and OpenVPN—to identify the best options for small businesses. The review highlights encryption strength, compliance features, and pricing, offering a practical guide for third‑party risk managers selecting remote‑access solutions.

LiveThreat™ Intelligence · 📅 April 30, 2026· 📰 zdnet.com
Severity
Informational
AD
Type
Advisory
🎯
Confidence
High
🏢
Affected
2 sector(s)
Actions
3 recommended
📰
Source
zdnet.com

ZDNet Reviews Top VPN Solutions for Small Businesses in 2026

What Happened – ZDNet published a comparative review of VPN services (Surfshark, Proton VPN, NordLayer, OpenVPN, etc.) aimed at small‑business environments, detailing testing methodology, feature sets, and pricing.

Why It Matters for TPRM

  • VPNs are a critical security control for remote work and protect third‑party data in transit.
  • Selecting a vetted provider reduces exposure to data‑exfiltration and compliance gaps.
  • The review highlights compliance‑focused options (e.g., Proton VPN) useful for regulated industries.

Who Is Affected – Small‑business owners, MSPs, and any organization evaluating remote‑access solutions.

Recommended Actions

  • Review current VPN contracts against ZDNet’s criteria (encryption standards, zero‑trust features, audit logs).
  • Validate that the chosen provider meets your industry‑specific compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
  • Conduct a risk assessment of any third‑party VPN service before onboarding.

Technical Notes – The article does not disclose any vulnerabilities; it focuses on product capabilities such as AES‑256 encryption, kill‑switch functionality, multi‑factor authentication, and jurisdictional data‑privacy considerations. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-vpn-for-small-businesses/

📰 Original Source
https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-vpn-for-small-businesses/

This LiveThreat Intelligence Brief is an independent analysis. Read the original reporting at the link above.

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