If you operate a business online, you owe it to yourself, your business, and your clients to become acquainted with VPNs and how they can save you time and money in your day-to-day operations. But what does VPN mean and should you invest in one? And more importantly, how will a VPN affect your business and your clients? Read on to learn more.
What Is A VPN?
In essence, a VPN, or Virtual Private Network, service provider will allow you to browse the Internet through their private server. In addition, they will assign you an IP address that’s not your own. This will result in a number of benefits: anyone spying on your Internet activity will be unable to tell your IP address while you’re browsing; thus you can safely access your business network while away from the office, and you can even safely use public Wi-Fi without the fear of any important information being stolen.
Why Hide Your Location?
Hiding your location isn’t just about making sure your browsing habits aren’t traced back to you; it’s also about safeguarding information. When you’re browsing the Internet, anyone who traces your IP address has instant knowledge of where you are located. Since a VPN assigns you a random IP address, getting your real location becomes much harder.
Why is this important? Say you run a consulting firm, and you’re searching specific information for a client. Without a VPN, anyone who gains access to your business’s search history and your IP address now knows both what sort of information you’re searching for on behalf of your client, and where you’re located, compromising you and your client’s personal information. To prevent this, an extra layer of security is imperative.
Keep Your Information Safe While Working Remotely
Businesses that are used to their employees working remotely already use VPNs, but the pandemic means that it’s more important than ever for any business to make use of a VPN. Many established businesses have their own business network, which remote workers access through a VPN. This prevents their network, and the information it contains, from direct exposure to the Internet. Hackers often prey on the weak link in a network of shared devices. If every employee implements a VPN, every link in the fence will be secure.
This probably sounds a lot like cloud computing, but they differ when it comes to security. Your cloud application can allow any of your remote workers to quickly and easily access client information as needed, but they only offer very basic protection. Using a VPN to connect to your company’s private servers offers an additional layer of security. If nothing else, use both together if your company requires a compromise between flexibility and security.
The Dangers of Public Wi-Fi
While you may make it a habit to not use public wi-fi while conducting business matters, the reality is that you can’t be sure that your employees are always doing the same. On top of that, the simple act of not turning off your wi-fi connection on your tablet or laptop can leave you vulnerable to hackers. Using a VPN, and thus, encrypting your data, can deter any hacker on the lookout for easy targets, enabling you to better protect your client information.
If your business wants to take security to the next level, take these steps seriously, and you’re on the path to security success.
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