DirectAccess versus VPN

VPN has been around for a very long time, making it a pretty familiar idea to anyone working in IT, and we have discussed quite a bit about DirectAccess today in order to bring you up to speed on this evolution, so to speak, of corporate remote access. Now that you know there are two great solutions built into Windows Server 2016 for enabling your mobile workforce, which one is better?

While DirectAccess is certainly the newer of the technologies, we cannot say that it is better in all circumstances. Each has its pros and cons, and the ways that you use each, or both, will depend upon many variables. Your users, your client computers, and your organization's individual needs will need to factor into your decision-making process. Let's discuss some of the differences between DirectAccess and VPN so that you can better determine which is right for you.

Domain-joined versus non-domain-joined

One of the biggest requirements for a DirectAccess client computer is that it must...