Internet has become as ubiquitous as electricity these days. Anyone who does not have access to internet stands to lose a great deal in their everyday business. You can get access to customers, vendors and host of other information at your fingertip within seconds. While internet can provide all these great benefits it can also hurt you at the same time if you are not careful. Anyone who has experienced security breach and lost data can vouch for this. The primary reason for this is the public and open nature of internet. Internet was built on open standards, so anyone with a little bit of technical knowhow has the ability to tap into this network and not only watch the data traffic as it flows through it but also gain access to sensitive data such as passwords. That is why anyone who cares about privacy should consider using VPN when accessing internet.
What is VPN?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. Essentially it is a private network that extends across public internet. The keyword here is private. While internet is a public network VPN allows you to turn it into your own private network that others cannot pry upon. VPN enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computers were directly connected to the private network. VPN hides your IP address which is like your home address on the internet. This enables you to hide your computer from others who may be sniffing on the network to do harmful activities.
Benefits of Using VPN
As I mentioned earlier VPN allows you to hide your computer from prying eyes. That means it secures your data and computer from the hackers who may be looking to steal sensitive information and use it to do harm to your business. In addition, VPN allows you access websites such as Netflix and YouTube that may be banned from certain countries. VPN also allows you to spoof your location so it appears that you are accessing internet from USA, for example, while sitting in Australia. In short, VPN allows you to hide from the eyes of Big Brother or hacker intent on doing you harm.
Accessing VPN
There are number of ways you can access VPN. All major corporations provide their employees ability to access their private network through VPN. As an individual or small business owner you can use specialized companies that provide VPN access. Some of them are free, while others charge for this service. Naturally, the quality and service varies depending on what you pay for. There are certain attributes you should keep in mind when evaluating VPN access providers. The key attributes are anonymity, speed, reliability, customer support and, of course, price. The combination of these attributes and their importance to you should help you find the best VPN provider.
If you are a business owner you must consider using VPN when accessing internet. Failure to do so can compromise security and put your business sensitive information at risk. What is your experience with using VPN? Let us know in the comments below.
