OpenVPN Access Server / Self-Hosted VPN (BYOL)

In my day-to-day work, we deal with customer tickets related to VPN access, such as VPN password resets, regardless of the region they are from.

Beyond user support, we typically handle these tickets with a single request every three days, provide secure encrypted options, give remote access, and utilize multi-factor authentication, along with cross-platform support that includes Windows, Linux, and macOS, while also implementing split tunneling to manage company traffic through the VPN.

For example, if an employee is working from home, they need OpenVPN Access Server to connect to the office network, which allows them to handle database servers and other resources securely while working from anywhere in the country, improving security through encrypted access.

OpenVPN Access Server governs secure and compliant VPN access through centralized user management, allowing admins to manage user accounts, monitor activity, and enforce access policies efficiently.

In my organization, OpenVPN Access Server is deployed as a centralized VPN gateway in my Azure cloud, which is a public cloud environment, enabling secure access to company resources.

The best features OpenVPN Access Server offers include the ability to grant employees access to office applications quickly; without OpenVPN Access Server, employees would need to travel, but once access is granted, they can reach all office resources within a minute, reducing the resolution time from one to two hours to just one minute.

We reduce VPN bandwidth consumption by providing OpenVPN Access Server connection access based on specific geographical regions, with separate VPN access for West, Central, and Canada, ultimately lowering our overall bandwidth usage.

I find the verification of credentials against Active Directory crucial; if credentials are not verified, access policies should define user groups, IP restrictions, and route-based access meticulously.

Regarding other features, I believe we can improve OpenVPN Access Server by implementing high availability through load balancing between multiple servers, which increases access control and user administration capabilities, while also adding stronger multi-factor authentication and continuous monitoring using tools like Splunk.

While it is easy to use, I would suggest regular updates to OpenVPN Access Server software, particularly before SSL certificate expirations or OS upgrades to protect against vulnerabilities while optimizing split tunneling for efficient bandwidth usage.

I have been using OpenVPN Access Server for four years in my current company, PowerSchool.

The setup process in my organization was straightforward as it was already pre-set up when I joined, and I experienced no complex issues during installation.

In terms of cost savings, there are tangible benefits, although specific numeric values were not specified.

OpenVPN Access Server has positively impacted our organization by enabling remote issue resolution in minutes where previously critical alerts required hours of travel to fix, alongside improved productivity as employees can quickly access internal resources, file servers, and collaborate with teams.

I would rate OpenVPN Access Server as a 10 out of 10 because it significantly reduces downtime, enabling employees to address issues promptly.

For instance, if each engineer saves one hour daily on commuting, granting access with OpenVPN Access Server leads to significant productivity gains of around 300 hours saved monthly for the organization.

My overall review rating for this product is 10 out of 10.

I use the solution for higher education resources.

The solution does its job and it is easy to customize.

The core VPN functionality is reliable and relatively easy to administer once it is deployed.

The licensing and purchasing workflow needs serious improvement. OpenVPN should provide clear documentation for customers who need multiple Access Server instances, different connection counts, AWS Marketplace subscriptions, PAYG licensing, and BYOL licensing under the same organization. Support and sales also need a clearer internal escalation path. We received guidance that pointed us back to AWS, then AWS clarified that OpenVPN needed to amend or handle the agreement, then OpenVPN proposed BYOL, then the BYOL setup ran into another account conflict. This was embarrassing for a paid enterprise product.

The product should include clearer in-app and portal-level guidance explaining what account types, billing models, and subscription models are compatible. Customers should not have to discover these limitations through a long email chain.

I have been using the solution for 7 months.

We have used OpenVPN Access Server previously and were trying to expand our existing deployment. The issue was not that we were switching from another vendor. The issue was that expanding an existing OpenVPN setup became unexpectedly difficult.

Do not assume the pricing or purchasing path will be straightforward, especially through AWS Marketplace. Confirm in writing whether your intended setup requires PAYG, BYOL, a Marketplace amendment, a separate AWS account, or a separate OpenVPN account. Also, budget staff time for the licensing process itself. The sticker price may look clear, but the real cost includes the time spent untangling subscription limitations, account conflicts, sales handoffs, and unclear guidance.

We considered continuing with OpenVPN because we already had operational familiarity with it and expected the expansion path to be simple.

The technical product is usable. The purchasing and licensing experience was the problem. Our organization needed a simple answer to a simple question: how do we run one 10-connection server and one 50-connection server? Instead of a clear path, we got days of back-and-forth, repeated explanations, conflicting assumptions, AWS/OpenVPN finger-pointing, delayed responses, and a final BYOL path that still ran into account conflicts. For an infrastructure product, that is not acceptable.

Customers should not need to coordinate between vendor sales, vendor support, AWS Marketplace, AWS account teams, and internal billing just to buy more capacity. OpenVPN should make this process dramatically clearer, faster, and more accountable.