With people becoming increasingly more concerned with the security of their sensitive personal information, virtual private networks (or VPNs) are rising in popularity and with good reason. VPNs can offer both private citizens and organizations alike the type of total privacy they’re looking for. However, they can be especially important game changers for businesses. Here’s a closer look at why every business owner should seriously consider investing in a VPN for their growing company sooner rather than later.
What Is A VPN And How Does It Work?
When a typical web surfer accesses the internet over a standard network via their computer, smartphone, or other device, their connection is far from secure. The information they send back and forth over that connection can be intercepted by just about anyone who knows how, including valuable personal or financial data. Plus, every detail of their activity is being tracked and observed so they can be targeted in the future by advertisers. Of course, their ISP keeps a close eye on them at all times as well to make sure they’re using the service as intended.
A virtual private network uses the internet to create a genuinely secure connection to a private server. That server could be located nearby or on the other side of the world, but the user would be able to connect to it as easily as if it were in the same room. As discussed on https://surfshark.com/use-cases, there are significant benefits to using a VPN instead of relying on a standard connection, including the following:
- Truly secure financial transactions and online banking activity.
- Thorough protection for valuable personal information.
- Drastically improved security when using public Wi-Fi.
- Improved privacy and anonymity for activities like gaming, torrenting, and streaming.
- The ability to bypass location-specific internet censorship.
VPNs Are A Wise Choice For Any Business
If private individuals can benefit so much from making the switch to a VPN, it makes sense that they’d be just as useful for businesses. A company doesn’t have to be a global giant to benefit from something as useful as a VPN either. Even small, privately owned businesses and start-ups have customers, employees, and important transactions they need to protect, and a secure private network can take the guesswork out of doing that.
In fact, a VPN may prove most useful to a small to mid-sized business for a number of important reasons.
- Even small modern businesses likely utilize resources like cloud storage, virtual conference rooms, and telecommuting software for various purposes. A VPN is a simple, user-friendly way to heighten the security of all of those resources without making costly investments in dedicated routing hardware.
- Here in the internet age, business owners and team members alike need to be able to access the data they need for work from any location or device. VPNs make it incredibly easy to do that safely, so it’s easier for remote workers, employees at other locations, IT professionals, and just about any other authorized person to do what needs to be done from any location in the world.
- Not all world locations are created equally when it comes to internet access. Many countries – like China, to name just one – place very limiting restrictions on how the internet can be used. With the right business VPN in place, a given company’s employees would always have a seamless way to retrieve necessary corporate resources, even when away on business in a country with strict internet usage laws.
- The way people do business is becoming increasingly digitized, so it’s important for businesses of all sizes and types to do what they can to keep up. The right VPN can make this process seamless and nearly effortless for even the smallest, newest businesses.
- Of course, any small to mid-sized business owner knows how important it is to cut costs and save working capital wherever possible. VPNs aren’t just ridiculously useful when it comes to protecting a business. Many are affordable enough that they fit comfortably into even the strictest budgets.
In other words, a VPN is among the most affordable, effective ways to keep a company’s valuable data airtight. Every member of that company’s staff enjoys easy, convenient access to military-grade security for all transactions for much less than any of the alternatives would cost. VPNs make it easier to keep up with the swiftly changing world of online business as well. Those are advantages that are tough to beat!
Choosing The Right Business VPN
With more people catching on to the benefits of using a VPN, it goes without saying that there are lots of options out there to choose from. However, it’s important for business owners to make sure the service they pick is a good fit for their company’s present and future needs. Here are a few critical things a savvy business owner would consider before finalizing that choice.
- Speed: Slow connectivity is a major frustration for anyone looking to connect to online resources, but it’s an especially bad thing for professionals who need to meet deadlines and keep up with demand. A good business VPN places a high premium on quick, reliable connection at all times.
- Encryption: While a private citizen is more likely to want a VPN for unlimited access to online resources that otherwise wouldn’t be available to them, business owners should be more concerned with security and privacy protection. Ironclad encryption protocols that are guaranteed leak-free are good options for that reason.
- Versatility: Business solutions of all types need to be scalable so they can grow with a business, and VPNs are no exception. Good fits for businesses make it easy to add functionality and features as needed on an ongoing basis.
- Support: Should anything go wrong, a business owner needs to know there’s a dedicated team of responsive experts who will work quickly to solve the problem. World class service, tech support that’s easy to reach, and fast response times are important features to look for.
Once the right match has been found, getting started is as easy as signing up for the service and downloading the necessary software. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s affordable, and it’s fast, so a company that really needs a privacy upgrade can have a new VPN up and operating almost instantly. The sooner they start, the sooner they can take their business dealings to the next level.
