The modern internet is larger, more complex and more useful for business users than it has ever been before.
With the advent of cloud computing services, the need for an in-house server stack has been all but eliminated for small to medium-sized businesses. With communication and collaboration tools like Slack, employees are now able to work from virtually anywhere in the world. And, of course, it’s impossible to ignore the advertising opportunities that the modern web has brought.
One piece of the modern internet environment, however, has seen a huge amount of interest in recent years – Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). From home users to large business customers, VPNs have emerged as a vital tool in the modern age. But what are VPNs, and how could your business benefit by deploying them? Join us as we share everything you need to know.
What is a VPN?
VPNs have been around for quite some time now, but in an age where hacking and surveillance efforts are increasingly prevalent they, in turn, are becoming increasingly vital.
Put simply, Virtual Private Networks act as a secure and private way to access the internet, no matter where you are in the world, helping secure your private data and communications which otherwise may be susceptible to hacking or snooping attempts.
By using advanced tunnelling and encryption techniques, VPNs effectively act as a firewall for your internet activity, protecting it from any nefarious actors.
Why Use a VPN in your Business?
Of course, security isn’t the only selling point of a VPN, as they also let you set your IP address as one from virtually any nation. This has a number of benefits, including the ability to access geo-locked websites.
There are a significant number of reasons why businesses might use VPNs, beyond what you may expect. These include:
- Site-to-site Tunnelling – The most common uses for VPNs within businesses tend to involve site-to-site tunnelling. Put simply, site-to-site tunnelling lets users from outside (say, an employee working from home) securely access data kept in your offices. Alternatively, you can set up a permanent VPN tunnel between offices, effectively linking their data without making that data vulnerable to hacking attempts.
- Geo-freedom – In business, there are times when you may not be within your home country or times when your internet freedom is limited by state control. A VPN will allow you to bypass those issues and set your IP address as anywhere in the world, enabling total geo-freedom. NordVPN, for example, has 3,290 servers across 60 countries, as stated in an expert NordVPN review, which shows that providing global access to content and other webpages is a priority both privately and in business.
- Affordability – With hacking on the rise and the average cost to a business attacked sitting at £857,000, every business should be looking to beef up their security efforts. Investing in advanced security practices within your business is a smart move, but with the affordability and security afforded by a VPN, there are few finer ways to increase the security of your data and avoiding significant costs.
Of course, there are just a small handful of the reasons why your business could benefit from a VPN. So, why not take the time to familiarise yourself with some of the more popular VPN products? It could help safeguard your business against significant harm.