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This is a schematic representation of a company's private network with several devices
These three letters mean one thing for some — the ability to access the office network from home, for others — an important part of remote work, and for others still — a way to protect data on public networks. But behind all these scenarios lies the same technology — VPN (virtual private network). Let's figure out how VPN works and what these networks are for in 2026.
They say a samurai without a sword is like a samurai with a sword — only without a sword. A virtual private network is like a regular private network, only virtual. So to understand what VPN is, let's first explain the key aspects of how a regular private network works that connects devices: servers, computers, routers in a regular office.
Devices in a private network are connected using network cables and can see each other over the network. This network also has a gateway through which it connects to the internet. Devices inside the network can see each other, but from the outside, you can only access devices inside through the gateway, if its rules allow it. So the gateway has many functions that protect the private network.
This is a schematic representation of a company's private network with several devices
A private network can also have Wi-Fi access points. Devices that connect to them are also connected to the private network, just like through a cable.
By the way, you can also have a private network running at home. The router acts both as a connection point for all devices — your computers, laptops, and smartphones connect to it via Wi-Fi or cables, and as a gateway — it's through the router that you access the internet. Within this network, you can transfer data without going to the internet, for example, set up shared access to files on your computer.
Obviously, you can only connect devices to the private network we described that a cable can reach or Wi-Fi can cover. That is, we're talking about the limits of one building or block.
If you have many offices and they're all in different cities, you'll still want to connect them into one private network. The thing is, it's easier to organize collaboration within a common network — from shared document folders in the cloud and shared code repositories for developers to accountants from all branches working together in 1C:Accounting. When each branch has a separate private network, many such work systems won't like that at all.
For such cases, when it's physically impossible to build a regular private network, the VPN technology was invented — it's like a real private network, only virtual.
VPN connects the private networks of all offices with each other through encrypted connections. Devices in these networks see each other as if they were in one private network and can securely exchange data directly through the public internet or, as strict security folks say, "over public networks."
This approach to security allows exchanging confidential data in plain sight of the whole world without the risk of revealing secrets — all encryption keys are only with the participants of the virtual network. No key — you're not one of us! The VPN server — a special program for managing virtual networks — usually monitors the integrity of encryption channels and the correctness of VPN keys.
There are different ways to encrypt and package data during transmission, called secure virtual private network protocols. As of 2026, the landscape is as follows:
So, to access a regular private network, you need to be physically in the office and connect your device to the network via cable or Wi-Fi. To connect any device to a VPN network: laptop, desktop, or smartphone, a VPN client is used. What is it? It's a special application that transmits data from your device to other devices on the VPN network.
A VPN network can be conditionally depicted as follows: it combines devices from the company's private networks into one common network, ensuring their secure interaction with each other through the internet
Thanks to VPN, any system administrator can access the console of the suddenly broken Most Important Server right from vacation, literally from their own smartphone. That is, VPN simplifies work not only between different offices but also for distributed teams: an administrator monitors system performance from Chelyabinsk, a programmer works from Bali, and a manager compiles reports from a dacha in the Moscow region. Hybrid and fully remote work has become the norm for most IT companies, so VPN has stopped being a "backup plan" and has become a basic element of infrastructure.
If you deploy infrastructure on a cloud platform, for example VK Cloud, you can use built-in VPN services and quickly create a corporate virtual private network without extra configuration — with WireGuard and IPsec support "out of the box."
Classic VPN works on the principle of "once you're in — you're trusted": you authorize once and see all internal network resources. In 2026, this is no longer enough: the risk is too high that a compromised employee laptop will become an entry point to the entire corporate network.
Therefore, large companies are moving toward the Zero Trust model and its network implementation — ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access). The idea is simple: no unconditional trust, each request to each resource is checked separately taking into account context — who the user is, from which device, at what time, whether the device complies with security policies.
VPN isn't going anywhere, though. It remains the basic transport — an encrypted channel over which Zero Trust logic operates. And in site-to-site scenarios (connecting data centers and branches), VPN is simply irreplaceable.
The main goal of using private virtual networks is to ensure a secure and stable connection between departments and employees in an unstable and insecure environment in cases where this cannot be done with physical tools (cables and Wi-Fi networks).
However, VPN use is not limited to just this. A VPN connection is also what allows you to secure access to public networks and reliable transmission of confidential information. For example, people often use an encrypted channel when they need to access the internet from a knowingly dangerous network — for example, public Wi-Fi at an airport or cafe.