The loss of a laptop could cost you $1000, but your data might be worth much more. Start-ups and small businesses are popular targets among hackers, who can turn years of your work into ashes. More and more entrepreneurs are relying on virtual private networks (VPNs) to establish a secure internet connection. How exactly does a VPN work, and how can it benefit your business?
What is a VPN?
A VPN redirects your internet traffic through a tunnel, thus nobody can see what you do online and view your communications. Your web requests go through a remote server of the VPN provider, which takes care of encryption.
Some leading VPN’s in the industry have more than 5,400 servers in 59 countries. Every time you connect to one of its servers, you acquire a different IP address. You may be located in the US, but, for anyone watching you online, it will appear as if you were from Germany, Canada, or any other country.
When you connect to the internet through a VPN, nobody can link your internet activities with your identity.
Benefits of a VPN
Enhancing your online security
Staff need to securely access various resources to perform their daily tasks. As many employees work from home, travel, connect to public Wi-Fi, and even use their personal devices for work, it’s important to keep them secure at all times.
Accessing your company’s data and using various software tools without a VPN is a digital suicide. There are plenty of wrongdoers targeting remote workers and looking for ways to make money. With a VPN enabled, all online activities are wrapped in encryption, which mitigates the risk of getting hacked.
Accessing restricted services
Some websites and online resources are only available to users from certain countries. If you often travel abroad for work, you might not be able to access them. However, with a VPN enabled on your device, you can connect to a server in your home country and use the services as if you’ve never left your office.
There are also a handful of countries like China that ban western media, social platforms, and even services like Gmail. Having a VPN installed on your laptop, phone, or tablet is often your only way to communicate with the outside world.
Improving digital privacy
You can’t take a single step on the internet without being tracked. Your ISP knows how much time you spend online, what device you use, and what websites you visit. They sell this information for marketers, who later bombard you with targeted advertisements. Nobody wants to be analyzed like a lab mouse. And this is where a VPN comes into play.
Since it changes your IP address, you can have control over your personal information, and nobody can snoop around your online activities.
Do you need a VPN for your business?
Buying a VPN subscription is much cheaper than investing in a large security infrastructure. You can also install a it on your router and protect all gadgets connected to the internet.
Usually, these apps are easy to use, so even less tech-savvy users will be able to navigate them easily. Small companies rarely have a designated IT administrator, and nobody is keeping an eye on employees’ security habits. However, with a VPN on site, you can be sure they’re taken care of.
Cybercrime is on the rise, and online threats are constantly evolving. It’s best to be proactive and improve your company’s security rather than wait for an incident to happen. As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.
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