When you think of all the data you move through your devices every day it can be a bit unsettling. Hackers get smarter by the day and even checking your email under a coffee shop Wi-Fi connection could compromise your digital life. More and more people are transitioning to virtual private networks or VPNs to keep their data safe. In a business setting, it’s important to utilize a VPN, especially if you have employees working remotely or off-site. It helps to secure your companies network and protect the data going back and forth.

What is a VPN?

A VPN creates a virtual encrypted tunnel between you and the remote server operated by the VPN service. With this, all of your Internet traffic is routed through the VPN tunnel, making a secure network from a public one. Meaning, it takes on the IP address of the VPN provider, which allows you to be slightly incognito as far as location and identity. This comes in handy when multiple employees need to access a business’s network. Rather than allow an open network for all of the world to see, a VPN connects only those people that need access to the network and not the rest of the world. Everything stays the same on your device, it is just a lot more secure for transmitting important data.

Why use a VPN?

As previously mentioned, the biggest takeaway is security. It protects your business and/or personal network. So, let's say you need to check your work emails while grabbing your morning coffee. You see a public Wi-Fi network named after the place you’re at. Has to be legit right? Maybe. If it is, it's ridiculously easy to view devices on a public network. If it’s not legit, you just walked right into a social engineering trap. You logged into a fake Wi-Fi network and just gave someone full access to your network. A VPN gets rid of these potential breaches, hiding your device in a different ISP server.

Some people use VPNs to access websites that they may not be able to normally. Maybe there is a TV show on an Australian network. You can’t watch it because you’re in the US and they’ve blocked outsiders. A VPN can allow you to connect to an Australian server, so you look like you’re accessing from within the country. Now that is a fairly innocent use of a VPN. Many have used VPNs to access the dark web or other websites that the government has taken from public view. However, that just goes to show how incredibly secure it is. Also how easy it is to hide your identity from hackers.

VPNs can ultimately help improve productivity as long as the entire company is on board. It only works well if everyone utilizes it, otherwise, a breach could occur and defeat the purpose of using the added security. Keep in mind that a VPN solves a lot of issues when working remotely. However, it doesn’t take care of them all. There are other ways that your behavior can be tracked online, such as browser cookies. Along with that is added threats of cookie malware. Same goes for privacy. A VPN is a great way to add some anonymity to your Internet experience. However, it doesn’t make you totally invisible. So, if you need that added security you can try a different VPN provider.