So sánh full-mesh vs hub and spoke năm 2024
As traditional VPN technologies become less effective and more problematic, companies are searching for another way to provide secure remote access to their private resources. Mesh VPN solutions offer an alternative that replaces VPN’s original hub-and-spoke model with a distributed, peer-to-peer topology. Although it solves some problems, mesh VPN does not address all the challenges modern enterprises face. Show
We will explain what mesh VPNs are, how they work, and how they differ from traditional VPN solutions. As enterprise networks and workforces become more distributed, however, mesh VPNs add complexity and struggle to scale. Secure access solutions based on Zero Trust principles are better suited for how business works today. What is mesh VPN?A mesh VPN is a private, centrally-managed peer-to-peer (P2P) network that creates direct, secure connections between any two member nodes. Unlike public P2P services such as Gnutella or BitTorrent, mesh VPN solutions give administrators control over access and visibility into network activity. That central control does not extend to the mesh VPN’s data traffic which passes directly between nodes through encrypted tunnels. Mesh VPNs let organizations build efficient network topologies that link multiple geographically separated sites together without running them through a central location. Increasingly, companies are looking at mesh VPNs to support distributed workforces. How Mesh VPNs workMost of the work in a mesh VPN is done by software agents running on each node. The agent maintains a list of the other nodes in the network and their public keys and IP addresses. When two nodes connect, they exchange keys and establish an encrypted connection. Some mesh VPNs, such as the open-source project tinc, use a pure P2P model. However, many solutions take a hybrid approach to centralize some features. For example, the list of authorized nodes may be synchronized from a central server rather than distributed by the P2P agents themselves. The difference between Mesh and Traditional Hub and SpokeMesh VPNs attempt to address some of the weaknesses inherent to the traditional hub and spoke VPN topologies. Originally created as an affordable, internet-based solution to wide-area networking, VPN was designed to connect a few trusted networks. It was only later that VPN’s features extended to providing remote access. Even then, the remote users were a small subset of the company’s employees. Hub and Spoke VPN topologiesA hub and spoke topology was a logical design decision. A VPN gateway provided a central point for remote offices and users to access the central, protected network. However, in today’s distributed network environment, this approach creates significant challenges.
Distributed VPN topologiesMesh VPNs eliminate the centralized structure of traditional VPN solutions in favor of a P2P approach. This distributed topology offers several improvements:
However, mesh VPNs do not fix every weakness in the VPN model — and they create new issues that companies must address.
Hybrid VPN topologiesCompanies searching for an alternative to a traditional hub and spoke VPN are not limited to distributed mesh solutions. VPN’s original site-to-site capability, for example, can alleviate the pressure on the company’s central hub. VPN gateways at regional offices provide local network access while site-to-site VPN connections handle the traffic passing between offices. This approach becomes challenging to manage and expensive as the number of site-to-site connections increase. Dynamic multipoint VPN (DMVPN) blends the hub-and-spoke and mesh topologies. The network still has a central VPN gateway that forms the hub for incoming connections. When traffic needs to pass from one node to another, the DMVPN gateway dynamically configures a direct, peer-to-peer connection. DMVPNs are complex enterprise solutions requiring expertise to deploy and manage. VPN considerations vs. Zero Trust secure accessWhether it is the traditional hub-and-spoke model, the distributed mesh model, or something in between, VPN technologies are no longer the best solutions for modern businesses. Resources are distributed across on-premises systems, co-located servers, private clouds, and X-as-a-Service platforms. Work-from-home policies and a growing reliance on contractors and other third parties mean remote access is no longer limited to a handful of executives and field engineers. Zero Trust is a modern alternative to VPN that provides more efficient and performant access to resources while improving a company’s security posture. Central to Zero Trust is the concept that any network has probably been breached. In that light, every connection attempt — regardless of the user, device, or network — may be an attack. Authentication and role-based authorization is needed before any connection request is granted. And with access control rules based on principles of least privilege, users may only access the specific resources they need to do their jobs. How Twingate enhances security beyond access controlTwingate’s Zero Trust solution is designed from the ground up as an enterprise product. From established businesses to rapidly-growing startups, we understand our customers’ challenges and designed a solution that meets their needs.
Secure distributed networks with TwingateMesh VPNs are an attempt to mitigate the weaknesses of traditional VPN technologies by replacing hub-and-spoke with distributed, peer-to-peer topologies. They address some of VPN’s security weaknesses and eliminate the VPN gateways that undermine network performance. However, mesh VPNs introduce other issues that make them less suitable for modern businesses. Twingate’s Zero Trust-based approach to secure access is designed for the way enterprises work today. Able to protect resources wherever they are located, easy to deploy, and simple to manage, Twingate reduces the friction businesses experience on the path to Zero Trust Network Access. |