In today’s world, each business, despite its shape and size, faces challenges in safeguarding its digital assets.
Some organizations need nothing more than the basics, a minimalistic layer of internet security, to keep the digital wolves at bay. Others demand a robust fortress, a comprehensive solution that could weave a web of protection around their entire network infrastructure.
With its cutting-edge technology, NordLayer seamlessly threads into the fabric of clients’ infrastructures, whether cloud-based or reliant on hardware. NordLayer is all about convenience and ensuring that security effortlessly flows through an organization’s network. Our product evolution reflects NordLayer’s common goal – to enable all ways of working.
But in the world of cybersecurity, one size never fits all. Each business has unique ways of operating, specific challenges, and requirements. And so, NordLayer introduces four distinct plans: Lite, Core, Premium, and Custom. Each plan serves as a fine-tuned tool designed to address specific challenges that businesses face.
About the plans
Each plan is a calibrated digital mechanism for solving your business security challenges. Plans adapt gradually, incorporating additional features as the challenges become more complex.
Plan Lite gives you essential internet access security. It is designed to enforce basic threat prevention when browsing the internet. Accessing sites worldwide is important for testing, quality assurance, and giving users a great experience everywhere.
Plan Core takes what plan Lite offers and enhances internet access security with additional capabilities. It is a suite of combined solutions incorporating internet accessibility for broader security coverage and basic network access control solutions.
Plan Premium contains a complete set of features. It’s a powerful blend of network access control solutions. This offering covers everything from plan Lite to Core and even more. It provides a more granular network segmentation, which means better security. Moreover, plan Premium has the ability to interconnect different sites and devices for the complete enablement of all ways of working.
Finally, plan Custom is a tailored network access solution for specific clients’ network access security requirements.
Use cases of each plan
Discover the diverse range of applications that NordLayer offers across its plans, from basic browsing protection to advanced access control and automation.
Each use case addresses specific business needs, ensuring that NordLayer is a tailored approach to network security and connectivity.
Let’s explore the possibilities, discover insights from our team’s experts, and learn how to find the right plan to fit your organization’s unique needs.
NordLayer Lite: a gateway to secure internet access
NordLayer Lite is your solution for secure internet access and threat prevention when you browse online. This plan gives businesses versatile tools and features that protect traveling employees. It prevents online threats, lets you access geo-specific content, masks IP addresses, monitors VPN usage, and ensures the VPN connection is always enabled.
With NordLayer Lite, you can work and connect securely from anywhere, knowing that an effective solution shields your employee identities.
Internet threat prevention
Safeguard against online threats and malware while browsing the internet, providing a secure digital environment for your organization.
Geo-specific content access (for Q&A & marketing)
Enable employees to access region-specific content for marketing or Q&A purposes, ensuring they can engage with global audiences.
IP address masking
Hide the true IP addresses of your organization’s user identities to enhance online privacy and security.
VPN usage monitoring and reporting
Keep track of VPN usage within your organization and generate comprehensive reports to ensure compliance and security.
Continuous VPN connectivity
Ensure that employees are always connected to the VPN, maintaining a consistent and secure network connection at all times.
NordLayer Core: start your network security journey
Plan Core incorporates features of NordLayer Lite and enhances it with advanced capabilities.
NordLayer Core is the essential plan that takes your internet access security to a new level and helps you with the first steps towards protecting your company’s network.
This plan helps you enforce strict content and application access policies and implement IP allowlisted access to work tools and resources to streamline hybrid cloud management. Additionally, you’ll be able to keep a close eye on the company’s devices by checking them against predefined security rules.
With NordLayer Core, you gain the tools and visibility needed to create a resilient and secure network environment for your business.
Content filtering
Compared to the Lite plan, Core adds online content filtering. This acts as a protection against your employees visiting dangerous websites or opening suspicious emails. Moreover, content filtering can help optimize your network performance by blocking high-bandwidth sites.
Device Posture Monitoring
In addition to online content filtering, you get Device Posture Monitoring. This helps you with network visibility by allowing you to remotely check the status of desktop and mobile devices with popular OSes and the NordLayer app installed.
The check uses predefined security rules like the proper OS or NordLayer app version. It can also show jailbroken or rooted smartphones. All rules can be tailored to your organization.
Network access control
What’s more, with our Core plan, you’re getting a couple of useful network access control tools that we’re offering for the first time.
Network segmentation
The first one is network segmentation, which lets you divide your network into smaller sub-networks for easier control and better protection against breaches. This comes from the reduced attack surface, meaning fewer entry points in a sub-network for the threat actors to exploit.
IP allowlisting
Then we have IP allowlisting. IP allowlisting is a form of access control that ensures only data traffic from specified static IP addresses can access a given destination, such as a website; the destination itself blocks any other incoming traffic.
NordLayer Premium: advanced network access control and security
Plan Premium incorporates features of NordLayer Lite and NordLayer Core and improves it with cutting-edge capabilities.
NordLayer Premium provides your organization with advanced network access control and security features. It also includes network connectors, such as Site-to-Site and Smart Remote Access.
With this plan, you get granular network segmentation. You can establish connections with remote devices and securely bridge remote and on-site networks.
Moreover, you can restrict network access for non-compliant devices and automate user management with SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) tools. And how about using NordLayer right in your browser? For that, you’ll have our extension that works with Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
NordLayer Premium elevates network access control and security to a new level, enhancing the organization’s efficiency and protection in today’s digital landscape.
Granular network segmentation beyond teams
Gain fine-grained control over network segmentation, going beyond team-based permissions, and tailor access policies to your organization’s needs. You can select a specific employee, protocol, or port for unprecedented customization.
Smart Remote Access
Seamlessly connect two remote devices directly, allowing control and safe file sharing. In a nutshell, Smart Remote Access is a virtual Local Area Network (LAN) that lets you connect to on-premises hardware and establish a remote desktop protocol (RDP) session with full access and no additional third-party tools.
Site-to-Site
Bridge the gap between remote and on-site networks with secure and reliable access to on-premises resources from remote locations. This includes not only desktop and mobile devices but servers, routers, and printers, too.
Restricting access for non-compliant devices
Strengthen security by enforcing access restrictions for devices that don’t meet your organization’s security policies. This way, you effectively upgrade your network access control strategy to a device level.
Browser-level NordLayer deployment
Implement NordLayer Browser Extension for better performance and flexibility when working with web-based resources. This means zero issues with OS compatibility and a super fast setup. You also won’t need to route all your traffic to another country if you need that only on a browser level.
Automating user on/offboarding with SCIM tools
While you can easily manage your team without SCIM, there’s a bonus for using it together with NordLayer. We have integration with the most popular providers, so you’ll get automated user provisioning in this case. Among other things, this means adding or removing users from Okta or Azure AD platforms without NordLayer’s Control Panel.
Comparison of the NordLayer plans
Different NordLayer plans cater to different organizational needs. Lite offers essential internet access security with basic threat prevention features. In the meantime, Core is a suite of advanced internet access security and basic network access control solutions. Finally, the Premium plan is a powerful blend of network access control solutions with more granular network segmentation and the ability to interconnect sites and devices.
Each plan is a piece of the puzzle. It allows businesses to choose the perfect fit for their specific security and network needs. Dive into our comparison to discover which NordLayer’s plan aligns best with your organization’s objectives.
Lite vs. Core
NordLayer Lite is a plan that brings essential internet access security and connectivity features within easy reach. If you all need a reliable VPN, this is the plan for you. NordLayer Lite will encrypt your traffic, hide your IP address, and let you connect to multiple locations, avoiding geo-blocking.
Meanwhile, NordLayer Core is at a whole other level. Everything starts with adding a Dedicated IP, which enables all the advanced features described below. Therefore, Core is for you if you need more than just internet access security.
This plan is all about network security and segmentation while having more control over content filtering. With dedicated servers, extensive gateway locations, and granular control features, Core offers the tools to fortify your digital infrastructure and adapt to the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.
Key considerations
Lite: ideal for businesses with employees who often use Wi-Fi and need to avoid geo-blocking for marketing and Q&A purposes. It’s suitable for organizations of all sizes with straightforward networking needs. Choose this plan if you seek essential internet access security with basic internet threat prevention features.
Core: designed for businesses that need comprehensive network security, customization, and control. It’s suitable for organizations with more complex networking requirements. Core and its Dedicated IP unlocked security functionalities are also for those who want to start segmenting their network and control what cloud tools and hybrid-cloud resources their employees can access.
When choosing between Lite and Core, consider the level of threat protection and the number of advanced features you need.
Core vs. Premium
NordLayer Premium represents the pinnacle of network security and connectivity within our solution’s ecosystem. This comprehensive plan easily integrates the features of both the Lite and Core plans. Moreover, the Premium plan adds state-of-the-art features to offer a holistic solution that covers essential security and advanced network access control.
Key considerations
Security needs: assess the complexity of your security requirements. Core is suitable for organizations with fundamental cloud security needs, while Premium is ideal for those requiring advanced protection for both cloud and on-site resources. Moreover, Premium gives remote access to devices and on-site networks. Also, if you have a bigger team and automated user provisioning for onboarding and offboarding, then Premium is the right choice. It also has NordLayer Browser Extension if your infrastructure doesn’t support popular OSes.
Connectivity flexibility: consider your connectivity needs. Premium offers more diverse network connectors, catering to organizations with varied remote access requirements.
User management: if your organization relies on Okta or Azure AD for user management, Premium’s user provisioning capabilities may streamline your processes.
Support requirements: organizations with critical operations may benefit from Premium’s priority support, ensuring faster response times and dedicated assistance during critical incidents.
Finally, the choice between Core and Premium depends on your organization’s scale, complexity, and specific needs. Both plans offer robust network security and control, allowing you to tailor your selection to align perfectly with your goals and aspirations.
How to choose the most fitting NordLayer plan?
Choosing the right NordLayer plan is a critical decision that directly impacts your organization’s network security and connectivity. By considering security needs, scalability, and control factors, you can make an informed choice that aligns perfectly with your unique business requirements.
Talk to us today and learn about the most suitable NordLayer plan for your business.
FAQ
1. What are the main factors to consider when choosing a NordLayer plan?
Consider your security needs, scalability requirements, and connectivity preferences. Next, evaluate the complexity of your network and the level of control you desire. Finally, check which plan meets your needs best.
2. What are the primary differences between NordLayer Lite, Core, and Premium plans?
Lite offers essential internet access security with basic internet threat prevention features. Core includes all Lite features and provides comprehensive network control and security. Premium includes all Lite and Core features, plus advanced security options like Cloud Firewall and Device Posture Security. Plus, it enables remote access with advanced network connections and adds NordLayer Browser Extension.
3. How do I assess my organization’s security needs?
Examine your industry’s compliance requirements, the sensitivity of your data, and the potential impact of security breaches. Your security needs should align with your risk profile and regulatory obligations.
4. What factors should I consider when thinking about scalability?
Consider your infrastructure growth first and whether your chosen plan can accommodate increasing network demands. Scalability is essential to ensure that your network can adapt to changes. Ultimately, you can always start with NordLayer Lite and move up when the time comes.
5. How do I determine the right level of control for my network?
Consider your IT team’s expertise and the complexity of your network infrastructure. More control may be necessary for large, intricate networks, while simpler networks may benefit from a user-friendly approach.
6. What features are suitable for remote work scenarios?
Core and Premium plans offer features like Smart Remote Access, Always On VPN, and Site-to-Site connections, making them ideal for supporting remote work and secure connectivity. Premium also adds NordLayer Browser Extension, which helps avoid geo-blocks and enhances poor internet connections.
7. Are there additional resources to help with the decision-making process?
Yes, NordLayer provides the Decision Maker’s Kit, which includes whitepapers, guides, and resources to help assess your organization’s network security needs.
8. Can I switch NordLayer plans if my needs change in the future?
Yes, NordLayer plans offer flexibility, allowing you to upgrade or downgrade your plan based on your evolving requirements. Contact our support for assistance with plan adjustments.
9. How can I get a personalized assessment of my organization’s needs?
Reach out to NordLayer’s expert team for a Custom plan. We can help you determine the most fitting plan based on your specific network and security requirements.
10. What level of support is available with each NordLayer plan?
Lite and Core plans include around-the-clock available support, while Premium offers priority support 24/7 for faster response times and dedicated assistance with critical issues.
