IP (Internet protocol) address is the identity of any device on the network. It contains numbers such as 11.123.124 and these numbers have been used when a user tries to access any network or website. Devices must have an IP address to maintain a device connection across the Internet. For communication and access of devices, IP addresses sent packets to each other in the background.
IP addresses are crucial in terms of the security of any network. It has been used in VPN (Virtual Private Servers) and in every connection in a company’s network. Among many of them, we will discuss dedicated and shared IP addresses and give you some tips on how to choose the right one for your organization.
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Dedicated IP Explained
A dedicated or fixed IP is an IP that is used through the network by only company team members. We can consider dedicated IP as a special and private IP connection. Other users who are not assigned to this IP can not obtain access permission. Thus, organizations can create secure traffic that prevents access from the outside of the company.
In dedicated IP, a business owner or IT admin can decide who can access company data through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The admins assign only their employees to this specific IP address and can be sure that only allowed people have granted access to the private resources of a company. Since only authorized people are assigned to fixed IPs, companies can protect their networks from unauthorized access.
What are the benefits of a dedicated IP?
Secure your remote workforce
Although dedicated IP has so many benefits in on-premises work models, it offers more advantages for the remote workforce. The very first reason is it is hard to control remote employees and they are more prone to cyber-attacks and data breaches.
Firstly, remote employees use different devices that are not as secure as office computers. It is a fact that there are companies that adopt bring your device (BYOD) policy and let their employees use their own devices for office work. While office computers are protected better due to regular updates and protection software, personal devices can be neglected. Even if you warn your workforce about updates and other safety procedures, they can disregard your recommendations. This neglection makes your company more vulnerable to attacks.
Furthermore, most employees use devices for both their business and personal work. It is another mistake in terms of security. This implementation can cause catastrophic data breaches. We know that data leakages harm companies’ reputations and financial situations. They can lose clients and be subject to legal sanctions. To avoid these kinds of devastating consequences, you can consider dedicated IP for your organization.
Here, dedicated IP benefits show up and diminish the drawbacks of remote work. This benefit is about the working policy of dedicated IP. It provides private access and avoids third parties. So, even though the remote workforce shows some risky behaviors, dedicated IP does not let them be a risk by preventing external interventions.
Get more control over your company network
While using a dedicated IP, your company’s traffic is sent through this exclusive server. You do not need an extra IP address to provide access to the servers. On the other hand, it is more straightforward to monitor a dedicated IP connection and interfere with it. Moreover, dedicated IP makes your digital steps private and other users can not obtain access to your private server.
As a company owner or IT manager, you can determine allowlists. These allowlists include the specific IP addresses that are allowed to reach company resources. It is a good way to permit employees to make them authorized to access specific company resources. When companies eliminate privileges and give their employees adequate authorization to access only necessary resources, they decrease their attack surface and create a safer environment. Choose the IPs, gateways, and users to make them authorized.
Drawbacks of a Dedicated (Fixed) IP
Less affordable
While shared IP has been used by many users, dedicated IP is dedicated to smaller groups. Since the dedicated IP is only used by a specific team of a company, it costs much when compared to shared IP. That is why it is preferable to large-sized businesses since small businesses can not afford it.
Complicated management
It is hard to manage dedicated IP due to its complexity. In dedicated IPs, there is no responsible host to manage IP addresses. So, you are the one who is responsible for managing your IP address. This fact adds an extra burden to your security compliance and makes it hard to control without adequate staff.
Shared IP Explained
In shared IP, there is no private server so other unknown users can use the same server that your company used for business. Shared IP means that your domain takes place with other domains.
While dedicated IP offers a particular server so only your team can use it, you share the same server with other unknown users in a shared IP. Furthermore, shared IPs determine new addresses according to the server that your team uses. On the other hand, the IP address remains the same in the dedicated IP and the dedicated IP does not change the address to provide security.
Advantages and disadvantages of a shared (dynamic) IP
Pros
When compared to dedicated IPs, shared IPs are more affordable. The costs are available for small to large-sized businesses. On the other hand, it is easy to construct shared IP in your company. In dedicated IP, there is a need for a warm-up period to get used to the volume of traffic. It means that you have to familiarize your e-mail traffic and volume to the dedicated IP. Otherwise, sending a high amount of e-mails through a new dedicated IP can result in a reputation loss. So we can sum up the benefits of a shared IP in two: cost-efficient and established volume.
Cons
Shared IP can not provide a secure environment for remote users as the dedicated IP offers. It handles the whole traffic of the users so can not establish a private and dedicated service. Since shared IP changes the locations of IP addresses all the time, it can create access issues for some websites and networks. Eventually, it causes a slowdown and diminishes the productivity of a company.
Last Remarks on Dedicated vs Shared IP
Utilizing dedicated or shared IP can make different gains for your company. You can consider your business type, scale, financial and reputational goals while deciding on the IP type. Although both of them offers a great range of advantage, specific features can help you to choose the one. In terms of modern business requirements and today’s security climate, you can give dedicated (fixed) IPs a try to take advantage of the remote work safety offerings.
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