Today, everyone uses the internet, including you, your neighborhood Uncle Bob, the government, and the big and even small businesses.
All use the internet for various purposes, like reading this blog post or using people’s data to manipulate their shopping choices or even whom they vote for in the elections.
But one thing is sure: the rise in internet adoption has dramatically undermined our right to privacy, and we must protect it ourselves.
Hey, but don’t we have laws? You will say but hold it, my dear people, laws are insufficient. They never are; still, some people will misuse your information anyway.
And so, to protect your privacy and get control of your digital life and well-being, you need a VPN.
If you want to know what a VPN is and how it helps enhance Business Security as well as the security of users, read ahead.
So, what is a VPN?
VPN or Virtual Private Network is a technology similar to a proxy but on the internet.
A proxy is a third party that takes a request from your computer, forwards it to the internet, and sends the responses back to you.
So now, when you are using a VPN to connect to a service on the internet, your ISP(Internet Service Provider) will only have the IP address of your proxy server, and the website you visit will not get your IP address; instead, it will get the IP address of the VPN server.
Also, your data will be encrypted even before you send it to the VPN server due to SSL and HTTPS being used by almost all websites today.
So, a VPN effectively hides your data from the ISP and the websites you use.
Now let me tell you in detail the benefits of using VPN at a personal level and for Enhancing Business Security.
Table of Contents
Privacy
I have already briefed you about privacy in the introduction of VPN, so VPN hides your IP from all the sneaky people who want that information.
But there’s more to it than what a typical VPN service does. It makes it appear that your traffic originates from an entirely different country.
So, while browsing from the USA, you can move your IP to the Netherlands, India, China, Japan, or wherever you want, and your service provider supports you.
Also, your IP logs are cleared from the servers of the VPN provider, so you do not have to worry about those logs leaking.
Data Protection
When you use a VPN, your data in transmission is encrypted using the latest encryption algorithms like RSA, SHA256, etc.
So even if someone manages to access or intercept your data, all they will have is gibberish at their hands.
Well, that gibberish would take 10 * 3.92 * 10^56 minutes. Well, you do the math in years. How much time is it in years?
So your data like credit card information, Personal information, or even what kind of cat pictures you like is very safe.
Increased Productivity
VPN increases the productivity of a business by leaps and bounds by reducing latency and bandwidth costs and giving extra security to the business operation.
The VPN also helps bypass Geo-restrictions, firewalls, and censorship, allowing businesses and individuals to connect better.
Using VPN also helps reduce network congestion, thereby increasing network performance.
Throttling Prevention
Well, let me first tell you what throttling is.
What is throttling?
Well, your ISP will limit your network speed.
Sol, theoretically, it sounds correct, but the ISPs often intentionally reduce users’ network speed so they consume less of it.
So, you have an unlimited usage pack offering you a speed of 30 MB/s. For regular browsing, streaming your network will give good speeds. Still, your internet speed will drastically slow down for specific types of traffic.
Such throttling primarily happens while you try to download large files or some other bandwidth-heavy task.
Throttling Prevention
As a VPN encrypts all the data that passes through your devices, your ISP cannot determine which type of data it is in, and the algorithms that the ISP uses won’t limit your speed.
So now you will have superfast speed regardless of the activities you do. This will increase productivity, save time, and even reduce power bills.
Circumventing Censorship
Governments worldwide engage in some other form of censorship, such as blocking a YouTube video or even blocking IP addresses from a particular country.
As a business, it may be detrimental to your operations as it might lead to loss of revenue due to the customer base being cut off or loss of manpower or software services.
Also, an individual may be unable to access services, entertainment, literature, etc
So, to bypass such censorship and keep the operations running smoothly, you need a VPN service.
So, do you want to watch that YouTube video on your phone restricted in your country? Then check out the best free VPN for Android.
Secure Remote Access
Suppose your business has employees working remotely, and you must give them access to your company’s internal network.
Exposing your network to the internet and getting your data stolen or a ransomware attack would be terrible ideas.
Such an attack would destroy a business and lead to substantial financial costs.
So, for Enhancing Business Security and simultaneously allowing them to access the private network, VPN is the only solution.
Preventing Price Discrimination
Many companies, like Netflix, Google, etc., charge different services in different countries.
Usually, in high-income countries like the USA and the EU, the prices are higher than in developing countries, leading you to pay more for the same service.
To prevent this and save money, you can use VPN services to get many of these services at a lower price.
You can also access region-specific discounts using a VPN, like a Diwali discount from Amazon India over an e-book.
Use Cases of VPN for a Business Organization
A business can use a VPN to enhance its security and productivity. Here are some of the general ways an organization benefits from the use of a VPN.
- Protect the company’s and client’s resources when employees need to work remotely.
- To allow the company’s various branches in different locations to connect securely.
- To reduce bandwidth costs and improve the network’s performance by using data compression and caching of the VPN servers.
- To bypass geo-restrictions and censorship in various countries that block access to certain websites or services,
- Using VPN also helps to preserve direct access to the internal IPs of businesses, thereby providing immunity against DoS(Denial of Service) and DDos (Distribute Denial of Service) attacks.
- VPNs are a low-cost alternative to Firewalls and IDS (Intrusion Detection Systems).
Some Drawbacks of VPN
- Using any run-of-the-mill VPN service provider may lead to data loss and leaks.
- You should always check your VPN service provider’s terms and conditions to ensure you don’t share your data with third parties.
- Many VPN service providers may give your data to law enforcement in their countries on request, so be sure to check it out.
- There are many free VPN service providers out there, but beware that they give slow speeds and are not bound by any contract to you to protect your data.
- A good VPN will almost always add some extra cost to your pocket.
Conclusion
VPN services are indispensable for enhancing business security and protecting users’ privacy and data.
VPN services also help increase productivity and internet speeds and lower latency.
VPN services dramatically enhance a business’s data security and privacy; also, they can mitigate the effects of government censorship.
And lastly, we can access region-specific discounts or low prices using VPN services.
So this was all for today. See you next time, Sayonara (bye).
FAQs
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What are the security benefits of VPN in short?
- It enhances privacy.
- Super data protection.
- Bypassing Firewalls and censorship.
- Prevents Throttling of your bandwidth.
- Faster internet speed.
- It helps in bypassing Censorship.
- You can steer clear of region-specific pricing and get the best deal.
- Lowers the load upon your network.
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What are some good VPN providers?
NordVPN, Kapersky VPN, ProtonVPN, etc., are prominent VPN providers.
Although it is recommended that you research before subscribing to any VPN service, some things you can consider are your needs, budget, and the level of protection you will need.
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Is VPN safe?
Yes, using a VPN service is safe, but using the internet without a proper VPN is unsafe. The safety of VPN service largely depends upon the service provider you choose, so be sure to choose a proper service provider who is well-reputed and has good ratings.
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Can I use a VPN on my smartphone?
Yes, you can use a VPN on your smartphone, and it is recommended that you use it to enhance the privacy and security of your data and get all-round protection for all your devices. Many VPN service providers also have your phone covered or have unique smartphone plans.