In today’s digital age, it is always in your best interest to make sure that you’re staying on top of the tech that allows you to do your work more easily, operate with more security, and make your business a lot smarter. One of the pieces of tech that can do just that is a VPN or a virtual private network. Here, we’re going to look over what, exactly this technology does, how it can benefit your business, and why you should start using one sooner rather than later.

What is a VPN?

First of all, it’s important to be clear what we’re talking about. In this case, a VPN, or virtual private network, should be thought of as a private connection. Rather than connecting through your internet provider and then directly to the websites, data, and software that you use online, a VPN slips in the middle to effectively disguise your connection. It can be used to encrypt all data sent and retrieved from the internet, so that no one would be able to read it, or it even be used to change what nationality your connection seems like it’s coming from, so you can look like you’re visiting websites from halfway across the world.

Reducing your chances of a cyberattack

While it should be the only strategy that you employ, using a VPN is one way to reduce your connection to private services and their internet, which can help you reduce the chances of security breaches that can be greatly costly. Cyberattacks are becoming a lot more prevalent, with more than half of all companies having experienced some kind of cyber attack or attempt. VPNs allow you to obscure your connection, encrypting it so that anyone who is trying to eavesdrop would have a harder time gleaning what kind of data you are trying to access or upload. This can make your business much safer.

It can greatly improve travelling for business

If you travel a lot, especially across borders, then you want to do what you can to not just improve the profitability of each trip but to make it easier on yourself, too. Travel can be stressful and, as such, anything you can do to make it more convenient, such as bringing the things you enjoy from home, can be of significant benefit. Aside from the more serious benefits of VPNs, they also allow you to use the internet as if you were in a different part of the country, which can help you keep up with series you like, watch more movies when you’re stuck in a hotel, or find out how to watch ESPN in Canada. This can definitely make travelling for your work a lot easier.

Connect to semi-public networks much more safely

Another habit for those who travel for their work is to stop off at a cafe, library, or any other place that offers Wi-Fi access to quickly check their emails or get in touch with the team back home. However, doing this without any protection can leave you open to those who might be on the same network, and might know how to exploit them to get access to your data. Just as it does regularly, a VPN can help you obscure your own connection, encrypting all the data that you send and receive, so that public and semi-public connections become a lot safer. Of course, you should still be careful, and avoid ever doing anything too private or sensitive on these networks, but a VPN can make them at least usable.

Ensure better remote access to your tools

A lot of teams nowadays are shifting to remote working, and often this works by having your team access the tools and software used to work from the comfort of their own home. Because you do not have direct control over the security of the devices employed by your team, you might want to take the time to make sure that their connections are free from any risks. VPNs allow you to quickly add a layer of security, protecting the data that’s being transferred back and forth. Of course, you might want to mandate some protections that your employees have to install on any devices used to connect to company data and software, regardless.

For those who do a lot of their work or business online, or who travel, VPNs have quickly become a standard piece of digital equipment, and even a necessity. Take a look at the market of VPNs available to see which works best for you.

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