NordLayer Review: All-in-one Business Protection Suite

If you are looking for a simple and secure way to connect your business, NordLayer is the perfect solution. With NordLayer, you can access your files and applications from anywhere in the world, without having to worry about data security. In this NordLayer review, we will take a look at some of the key features that make this VPN service so popular with businesses.

What is NordLayer?

NordLayer is an enterprise-scale VPN service that has been built on the same backbone as its consumer service. However, the interface and functions have been retooled to better serve businesses. Via an easy-to-use control panel, you can change options for the entire company, as well as for individual users.

NordLayer offers a number of advantages for businesses, including AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, and client apps that are available on all major operating systems.

The only downside is that admin features are only available through the desktop app.

However, overall, NordLayer is an excellent choice for businesses that need a reliable VPN solution.

How NordLayer can help my business?

Any business, small or large, needs to have a reliable and secure network in order to exchange confidential files and data. NordLayer offers a secure network between all employees, ensuring that all data exchanges are secure from cyber threats.

This service is scaled to handle small to medium-sized businesses and teams, and it is an essential tool for any company that wants to protect its confidential information.

NordLayer is easy to use and set up, and it offers a variety of features that make it an essential tool for any business. With NordLayer, you can be confident that your data is safe and secure.

Apps and ease of use

NordLayer offers apps for a variety of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. While there’s no “admin app” for user management, this is handled comfortably via the web-based Control Panel on the NordLayer website.

Control panel

NordLayer’s control panel is designed for centralized user management. You can use it to add new users, transfer an account to a new user, create custom teams, and monitor server load and user activity.

If you have an enterprise plan, you can also customize the control panel to meet your specific needs. The screenshots and settings below represent only the most basic features of the NordLayer control panel.

With this powerful tool at your disposal, you can easily keep track of all your users and ensure that they have the best possible experience with your service.

Client apps: Windows and macOS

The NordLayer app is available for both Windows and macOS. The Windows app is lightweight and easy to use, with a sleek dark theme that shows only the server list. The macOS client app is virtually identical to its Windows counterpart – the differences are purely cosmetic.

Employees can log into NordLayer using Azure AD, GSuite, Okta, Sami, and OneLogin, though the company can change this setting. After launching the app for the first time, you will have to enter the unique ID for your company.

The employer can easily distribute these as email invitations. NordLayer is a simple yet powerful tool for managing VPN access for your employees.

Client apps: Android and iOS

NordLayer’s Android and iOS client apps are similar to the desktop version. However, unlike their desktop counterparts, they show the server’s IP address, making it easier to see whether you’re reconnecting to the same server in the selected country.

The Auto-connect feature on Android is more convenient because you can choose to connect not only to a specific country but also to the nearest one automatically. This will be welcomed by employees who travel often and may experience slower speeds just because they haven’t changed their settings after landing in a new country.

The desktop version offers more customization options, however, such as changing your protocol or enabling extra features like Kill Switch and NordVPN DNS. both versions offer a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to get started with NordLayer.

Security features

NordLayer promises military-grade encryption and a wide range of tunneling protocols. So far, it has delivered on both fronts, with AES 256-bit encryption and support for IKEv2, OpenVPN (UDP), and OpenVPN (TCP).

Hopefully, the NordLynx protocol will also be available soon. In terms of security features, NordLayer is off to a good start but there are some areas that could be improved. For example, it does not currently have a kill switch or two-factor authentication.

However, these features are in the works, so NordLayer is on the right track. Overall, NordLayer is a promising new VPN service that is worth keeping an eye on.

Privacy features

This section will look more closely at NordLayer’s logging policy and how it could affect your privacy. I’ll also check if there are any leaks that could give away your IP address or location.

Jurisdiction

NordLayer is registered in Panama, a privacy-friendly country with no data retention laws. That’s great news, given that most enterprise VPNs are registered in the US or some other country belonging to the Fourteen Eyes intelligence alliance. Let’s see what data NordLayer actually collects.

According to their privacy policy, NordLayer only collects your email address and payment information when you sign up for their service. They also collect some technical information, like your IP address and browser type, but this is only used for diagnosing problems with their service and is not linked to your personal account.

Overall, it seems like NordLayer is doing a good job of protecting your privacy. However, if you’re looking for a VPN that

Logging Policy

NordLayer collects certain information about you via our website in order to provide you with the best possible experience. This includes access logs (which may contain your IP address, OS, browser info, and cookie data), as well as information collected by our chat-bot. Social media widgets on our site may also collect your IP, pages visited on the NordLayer website, and more.

Finally, they use Google Analytics, Hotjar, and similar tools to collect usage data (although these tools do not directly identify visitors). They store limited personal information for as long as it is necessary for the provision of Services, execution of our legal rights and obligations, or for other legitimate business purposes. For more information

Leak Tests

We wanted to see if NordLayer was truly secure, or if it would leak my IP address or location. The results were very positive – NordLayer had no leaks whatsoever. This means that your data is safe when you use NordLayer, and you can rest assured knowing that your personal information is protected.

Technical features

In addition to NordLayer’s core features, there are a number of optional features that may be of interest to certain users.

For example, IP whitelisting allows you to specify which IP addresses will be able to access your data. This can be useful for security or for compliance with certain regulations.

Similarly, custom gateways allow you to control which employees have access to certain servers and virtual locations.

Finally, dedicated servers are available for Advanced pricing plan subscribers. Enterprise users also have the option of having the servers set up on their premises.

Speed and performance

When it comes to speed and performance, NordLayer is definitely a top contender. I ran my speed tests from Europe using the IKEv2 default protocol, and I was impressed with the results.

My baseline speed was already pretty fast, but when I connected to servers in Europe, North America, and Australia, the speeds were even better. The connection times were also very fast, probably even faster than those in the B2C version.

Overall, I was very impressed with NordLayer’s speed and performance.

Baseline speed

Our baseline speed is 292 Mbps for downloads and 228 Mbps for uploads. I found that NordLayer had a drop-off percentage of %.

Frankfurt, Germany

The NordLayer speed test in Frankfurt, Germany yielded a download speed of 199 Mbps and an upload speed of 6 Mbps. However, the Ping speed was only 38 ms.

New York, US

NordLayer’s speed test in the US yielded download speeds of 185 Mbps, but this was reduced to 37% of that (i.e. 68 Mbps) during the upload test. Ping latency was 129 ms.

Sydney, Australia

The NordLayer speed test in Sydney, Australia yielded the following results: Download speed was 90 Mbps, with a 69% drop-off. Upload speed was 1 Mbps, with a 99% drop-off. Ping was 350 ms.

The download speeds in these tests were amazing. But the upload speeds were not as good in all three places. However, it is important to remember that speed test results can vary depending on different factors. So it is always best to test for yourself.

Customer Support

NordLayer provides customer support to administrators and end-users who have paid for a business plan. If you are an advanced plan user or an Enterprise client, you will have a dedicated account manager.

We reached out to customer support a few times through live chat and received knowledgeable answers in less than five minutes. According to their website, all questions will be answered within three hours or less.

Plans and Pricing

NordLayer offers a variety of pricing plans to suit your needs. Their Basic plan is ideal for individuals or small businesses.

For just $9.00 per month per user, you’ll get access to all of the basic features, including cloud VPN, centralized billing, a kill switch, 2FA, license transferability, 33 server locations, and 24/7 customer support. Plus, we offer SSO with Google, Azure AD, and Okta.

If you need more advanced features, their Advanced plan is just $11.00 per month per user. It includes everything in the Basic plan plus additional features such as unlimited data usage and dedicated IP addresses. And if you purchase an annual plan, you’ll get even more savings: $9/month per user.

NordVPN pricing plans are very competitive, especially when compared to the competition. There’s no minimum account number for the Basic or Advanced plan, and choosing one of them gives you a discount.

Discounts for NGOs are available, while centralized billing enables you to pay for all services at once.

Payment options include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover credit cards. Some time ago there was an option to pay with Bitcoin if the purchase is over $1,000 but that seems no longer the case. It would be nice to see at least PayPal added in the future.

Final Words

If you’re an SMB owner looking for a way to secure remote workers and all of their devices, you should consider NordLayer. It’s still a work-in-progress, but it’s already the best B2B VPN service out there.

NordLayer automatically sets a high bar for itself, and it offers per-user pricing that makes it a great option for teams. With apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android, NordLayer is perfect for businesses that need to secure a wide range of devices.

If you’re looking for a VPN that can do it all, NordLayer is the obvious choice.