OpenVPN Consulting

OpenVPN is an open-source VPN protocol and software stack used to secure network connections over untrusted networks. It is commonly used by IT and platform teams to provide encrypted remote access for employees and contractors, and to connect offices, cloud networks, or data centers through site-to-site tunnels. OpenVPN helps protect traffic in transit, reduce exposure of private systems, and standardize access controls across hybrid environments.

It typically runs on Linux or virtual appliances and is managed through configuration files, certificates, and centralized authentication. It is often integrated with existing identity providers and deployed alongside firewalls and routing policies; see OpenVPN for additional protocol background.

• Encrypted tunnels for remote user access and site-to-site connectivity
• Certificate-based authentication and key management workflows
• Client configuration distribution and profile management
• Integration with directory services and MFA via external auth
• Policy-driven routing to reach private subnets and services

• Enhanced security is a primary benefit of Zero Trust, as it treats every access attempt as potentially malicious, inherently reducing the attack surface and making it harder for attackers to penetrate the network.
• Zero Trust assists with better compliance with data protection and privacy regulations due to its strict controls on data access and handling.
• The Zero Trust model provides complete visibility into network traffic, which can improve overall network management and allow for the quick identification of any suspicious activities.
• Zero Trust architectures are cloud-friendly and can be easily scaled up or down, offering a high level of adaptability and scalability to meet changing business needs.
• Adopting a Zero Trust approach can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches by limiting access to sensitive information and providing mechanisms to verify the authenticity of users, devices, and network flows.
• The flexibility of Zero Trust supports remote work, allowing employees to securely access necessary resources from any location, on any device, without exposing the entire network to potential threats.

OpenVPN is an open-source VPN protocol and software stack used to secure remote access and site-to-site connectivity over untrusted networks. It is commonly chosen for its strong cryptography, flexible deployment options, and broad client support across operating systems.

• Strong encryption and integrity controls through OpenSSL, including modern ciphers such as AES-256 and robust TLS-based key exchange.
• Mutual authentication with X.509 certificates, plus optional username and multi-factor integrations, to reduce the risk of shared-secret reuse.
• Operates over UDP or TCP and can run on a single port, which helps traverse restrictive networks and simplifies firewall policy.
• Cross-platform client availability for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, supporting mixed device fleets.
• Flexible network topologies for both remote-access VPNs and routed site-to-site tunnels, including hub-and-spoke designs.
• Granular access control using per-client configuration, routing rules, and pushed DNS settings to limit what users and networks can reach.
• Supports split tunneling and full tunneling to balance security requirements with bandwidth and latency constraints.
• Automation-friendly configuration and key lifecycle management, enabling repeatable provisioning and rotation in DevOps workflows.
• Works well in hybrid environments, bridging on-prem networks with cloud VPC/VNet networks when direct private connectivity is not available.
• Open-source transparency and broad community adoption, which improves auditability and provides extensive operational documentation.

OpenVPN is a strong fit when high-assurance encryption and flexible routing are required, but it can be more operationally intensive than newer options due to certificate management and configuration complexity. For large-scale fleets, plan for centralized PKI, monitoring, and periodic key rotation aligned with security baselines such as the OWASP Cheat Sheet Series.

Common alternatives include WireGuard, IPsec (strongSwan), and commercial platforms such as Cisco AnyConnect.

Our experience with OpenVPN helped us develop repeatable deployment patterns, automation, and operational runbooks that we used to secure client remote access and site-to-site connectivity across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments.

Some of the things we did include:

• Designed OpenVPN architectures for both remote-access and site-to-site use cases, including network segmentation and route controls for different teams and environments.
• Implemented certificate-based authentication with a managed PKI workflow (issuance, rotation, revocation, CRL/OCSP considerations) and hardened client configuration baselines.
• Automated user onboarding/offboarding and client profile distribution, integrating with identity providers and enforcing least-privilege access policies.
• Built infrastructure-as-code deployments for OpenVPN using Terraform, enabling consistent rollouts across multiple regions, accounts, and environments.
• Integrated OpenVPN access into Kubernetes operations by restricting administrative endpoints to VPN-only networks and tightening cluster access paths.
• Centralized logs and audit trails by forwarding OpenVPN events into ELK Stack to support access reviews, troubleshooting, and incident response.
• Implemented monitoring and alerting for tunnel health, authentication failures, and capacity thresholds using Prometheus and Grafana dashboards.
• Hardened cryptography and TLS settings (cipher suites, TLS versions, key sizes, renegotiation policies) aligned with guidance from OpenVPN Community Resources.
• Designed HA/DR approaches, including failover strategies, backup/restore procedures for configuration and PKI assets, and controlled cutovers during maintenance windows.
• Delivered operator training and support handoffs, including troubleshooting playbooks for routing conflicts, MTU/performance tuning, and client connectivity issues across OS platforms.

This experience helped us accumulate significant knowledge across multiple OpenVPN use cases—from secure remote access to hybrid site connectivity and operational observability—and enables us to deliver OpenVPN setups that are reliable, auditable, and straightforward to operate.

Some of the things we can help you do with OpenVPN include:

• Review your current remote access and site-to-site VPN setup and deliver a prioritized findings report with remediation actions.
• Create an adoption roadmap covering target architecture, routing/access patterns, rollout phases, and operational ownership.
• Design and deploy OpenVPN for secure remote user access and hybrid connectivity across cloud and on-prem networks.
• Harden configurations with strong cryptographic settings, certificate lifecycle management, least-privilege access controls, and audit-ready guardrails.
• Automate provisioning and configuration with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform to reduce drift and improve repeatability.
• Integrate authentication with your identity provider (SSO/MFA) and standardize onboarding/offboarding and access approval workflows.
• Implement observability for tunnel health, throughput, and failures with actionable alerts, dashboards, and on-call runbooks.
• Optimize performance and reliability by tuning MTU/routing, scaling patterns, and failure recovery to reduce latency and outages.
• Right-size infrastructure and reduce operational cost by simplifying network paths, controlling egress, and standardizing environments.
• Enable your team with hands-on training, documentation, and day-2 operating procedures for incident response and change management.