NordLayer licensing: Lite, Core and Premium plans

In short: NordLayer is Nord Security's cloud network access service, combining business VPN, zero trust network access, cloud firewall and web protection with no hardware. It is licensed per user on Lite, Core or Premium plans, from five users, with each licence covering up to six devices. Dedicated servers for private gateways and fixed IPs are licensed separately.

What NordLayer is

NordLayer secures how people reach the internet and your company resources, wherever they work. Staff install the NordLayer app and sign in, and their traffic is routed through Nord Security's cloud gateways, where your policies are applied. For many smaller organisations it replaces the remote access VPN on an office firewall, and it adds the building blocks of zero trust network access: identity-based sign-in, device checks and segmentation so users only reach what they need.

There are two kinds of gateway. Shared Gateways in more than 40 countries give every user encrypted browsing and web protection. Virtual Private Gateways run on a dedicated server with an IP address used only by your organisation, so you can allowlist that address on cloud apps, firewalls and SaaS admin portals and know that only your staff can come from it. Connections can use NordLynx, Nord Security's protocol built around WireGuard, and other VPN protocols are available in the app.

Lite, Core and Premium compared

Lite is a secure browsing and remote access starting point. Core is where most businesses land, because it adds private gateways, a fixed IP, split tunnelling and DNS filtering. Premium suits organisations that need segmentation with the cloud firewall, device posture enforcement, office-to-office connectors or automatic user provisioning. Organisations of 200 users or more can ask about NordLayer's Enterprise offer, which is scoped individually. NordLayer also offers CrowdStrike Falcon Go and Falcon Enterprise endpoint protection as optional add-ons.

How NordLayer is licensed

NordLayer is licensed per user, with a minimum of five users on Lite, Core and Premium. One user licence covers up to six devices, so a person with a laptop, a desktop and a phone needs only one seat. Licences can be transferred to new users when staff leave, and you can add users at any time, with the extra seats prorated to your existing term.

Dedicated servers are licensed on top of user seats. You need at least one for a Virtual Private Gateway and a fixed IP address, and some organisations add more for different regions or teams. Add-ons such as Device Posture Security on Core, or user provisioning on Lite and Core, are also extra lines on the quote.

Still on the older NordLayer Advanced plan? It has reached end of life, so we will map your features to Core or Premium at renewal. Ask us for a quote and we will set out seats, servers and add-ons line by line. See also licence true-ups and software renewals.

Requirements and deployment

There is no hardware to buy. NordLayer apps are available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and Premium adds a browser extension for URL-based split tunnelling. Users can sign in with your identity provider: NordLayer lists integrations with Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, OneLogin, JumpCloud and Google Workspace, and supports multi-factor authentication. Administrators manage users, gateways and policies from the web-based Control Panel, which also gives activity reports and dashboards.

A typical rollout is quick: create the organisation, connect single sign-on, set up a Virtual Private Gateway on a dedicated server, allowlist its IP on the systems you want to protect, then push the app to devices with your management tool. If you are working towards Cyber Essentials, NordLayer can help with secure remote access and web protection, though certification still depends on your wider controls.

Who NordLayer suits and how we help

NordLayer suits organisations from five users upwards that want secure remote access without a firewall appliance, need a fixed IP for allowlisting, want DNS and web filtering for staff working away from the office, or are replacing an ageing VPN as a first step to zero trust. It sits alongside the other options in SASE, ZTNA and business VPN and DNS and web filtering.

Forever Systems helps you pick the plan, size the dedicated servers, connect your identity provider and set gateway policies, then manages seats and renewals. Pair it with NordPass for credentials, or see all Nord Security products.

How Forever Systems supplies your software licences

Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.

• The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
• Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
• Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
• Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
• Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly

We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.

Frequently asked questions

More software and licensing guides

Related from Forever Group

• ZTNA (zero trust network access)
• SASE (secure access service edge)
• Cloud firewall
• Cyber security services
• Business connectivity