What is a VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service that adds additional privacy and security to both public and private networks. VPNsprotect sensitive company data and ensure anonymity while browsing the internet.
This extra level of security is largely credited to the overarching goal of VPN providers – making certain your connection to the internet is completely untraceable. As a result, the vast majority of VPN services do not save customer browsing records.
Common Business VPN Usages
There are many ways a business can benefit from enlisting the assistance of a VPN. Low cost, increased performance and the ability to change your IP address are just three of the conveniences of using VPN services for online business affairs.
Agencies or consulting firms, marketing professionals, law firms, independent practitioners, accountants, product developers and business intelligence professionals – can all implement the use of VPN services to protect against malicious cyber attacks.
Marketing and Business Professionals can also use VPN services for the following:
- To conduct market research in a specific region. In doing so, you will be able to search on Google or other localized search engines just as a local would and discover how your competitors are targeting different geographic locations.
- For securely connecting remote employees to a centralized server.
- Streaming videos during business presentations.
- Frequent domestic or international work travel.
How to Choose the Best VPN Provider?
Before making a decision on a VPN service, we first advise you to consider the below points:
- Have I clearly defined my business goals? If so, what are they?
- How will using a VPN service help reach my business goals?
- What will be my business’ primary use of a VPN service?
After defining your goals, you are finally ready to select a VPN provider. When choosing a VPN service, it is key to keep the below features in mind. These features can mean the difference between partial browsing anonymity and fully-secure web browsing. They come in the form of six important questions:
- Is there a kill switch? A kill switch ensures that in the event of a dropped VPN connection, your true IP address will not be exposed. Top VPN providers such as ExpressVPN and CyberGhost offer this feature.
- Does the VPN service give restrictions to or throttle bandwidth?
- Does the VPN provider keep logs of your browsing history?
- How many servers does the VPN service have?
- How many devices can you connect at once?
- Where are the VPN provider’s servers located?
Good luck with choosing a VPN service, and remember, you can read our VPN provider reviews to gain additional insight into packages, pricing and support options.