Did you know that due to COVID-19, and the lockdown regulations, our average person will now spend a jaw-dropping 16 hours per day on one form of digital internet-based media or another?
With the increase of time spent online, there are even more eyes turning to monetize your personal (and business) data, as well as a comparable increase in cybersecurity breaches and crime rates.
If you’ve been exploring the different ways of securing your browsing, and your devices, you’ve probably stumbled upon industry professionals talking about VPNs.
If you’re unfamiliar with what is a virtual private network, no worries. You’ve come to the right place. Keep on reading for our full breakdown on the minutiae of what makes a VPN so special, what it’s used for, as well as the core 12 reasons why you should be building a shrine for your home VPN (if you have one), and get one ASAP (if you don’t).
What Is a Virtual Private Network?
Let’s start with the basics. Before we take a deep dive into the delightful characteristics of superior VPN services like invpn.com, we’ll explain how a virtual private network (VPN) works.
In the simplest of terms, when you have a VPN in place, it takes all your data and transmits it via an encrypted connection. It makes this merry little trip using a remote server that masks your real IP address.
Once you’re online with a masked IP address, you’re automatically much safer, as hackers, your internet service provider (ISP), and even nosy corporations won’t be able to see your internet activity. Moreover, it won’t only be your internet activity that benefits from the extra security.
Data-heavy information, like your literal data, your location, your device specifications, and much more will be protected. It’s much easier to think about your VPN as a closed tunnel, where your data can safely travel from point A (which is the origin point, your device) to point B without breach concerns, or worrying about someone being able to take a peek at your data.
How Your Data Gets Transmitted Without a VPN in Place
The normal process traditionally goes as follows. Traffic is sent from your computer to a server that’s owned by your ISP.
This is the firm that you pay your monthly internet fees to, then your ISP is responsible for connecting you to your targeted websites and platforms.
The VPN Detour
When you have an operational VPN, it takes your traffic from your device, then reroutes it to a remote server that’s owned by your VPN provider, with comes attached with military-grade encryption protocols.
Afterward, your traffic is sent to your ISP after getting encrypted within an inch of its tech lives.
This results in complete online anonymity. For instance, if you’re making an online purchase, your credit cards and bank information will be fully protected. Besides, if you’re sending (and receiving) confidential and sensitive documents, you can rest assured that no one will be able to open or intercept them.
Your VPN not only guarantees protection from third parties but also your ISP themselves. Not even they can take a look at your private data or browsing history.
The 12 Benefits of Having a VPN at Home (or Anywhere at All)
At this point, you have a solid understanding of how a VPN works. Now, it’s time to delve into the top reasons why it’s so beneficial to have, whether for home or business use.
1. Secure Your Private Data
Of course, we have to start with the foundational reason behind the invention of VPNs in the first place.
By having a VPN, you can connect a multitude of different devices, like your tablets, laptops, smartphones through a single secure connection. Generally speaking, most offices will have secure internet connections. However, due to the sheer boost in the number of people working from home, you’ll want to ensure that your business data won’t be leaked to a third-party.
Also, you can use a VPN as a private server, if you’re a small business owner or a team manager. This server will help your employees access all the necessary required data from your private server. This way, you’ll centralize your data on one server, as well as prevent the need to save copies on your employee’s local systems and devices.
This allows your employees to only access sensitive data from your private server that’s connected to your VPN, which can significantly cut down on risks of leaked (or even losing) data.
2. Protect Your Devices
In this case, we’re not only talking about your data, we’re also talking about both your and your remote workers’ hardware.
After all, as lockdown restrictions start easing up, your remote employees will start using different unsecured public Wi-Fi networks, or even other family member’s internet connections.
Any network that’s less secure than your work network comes with increased risks of data breaches and corruption. Moreover, there’s the threat of malware and phishing concerns that you have to keep in mind. A VPN will tremendously cut down the chances of malware infecting your devices.
3. Enjoy Your Encrypted Data
Whether it’s your data, your browsing history, or even yourfavoritedTikToks, any online activity that you perform will be protected and secured via military-grade 256-bit AES encryption.
In layman’s terms, these are encryption protocols that are so solid and strong that it would take the fastest supercomputer on the global scale an average of a million years to break it down. So, if Mitnick himself wants to take a look at your data, he wouldn’t be able to do so.
This type of encryption can only be unlocked using a single decryption key, which you can ask your VPN provider to give you.
4. Access Public Wi-Fi Safely
If you’re in the mood to use all the bandwidth that Starbucks can provide, you can safely do so only with a robust VPN in place. We know how tempting it can be to use free Wi-Fi hotspots, but you need to understand that your regular percentage of risk you take when accessing the internet on your home network is (at least) quadrupled once you’re using a public Wi-Fi network.
Basically, there are no security protocols whatsoever when it comes to public networks. Besides, there’s no telling who’s sharing your connection and what their objectives might be.
If you’d rather open pandora’s box, you’ll want a VPN on your side. As we’ve previously mentioned, a VPN will create the appearance that your data is coming from your VPN server, not your actual IP address and its linked device. Therefore, any potential attacker won’t be able to identify your device as the source of your data.
On the other hand, there are always identity theft concerns to keep in mind. It’s another worry that you can set aside if you’re using a VPN while connecting to the internet via a free hotspot.
5. Lock Down Your VoIP Calls
Whether you’re using a VoIP to make international calls for business or personal reasons, there will always be security concerns regarding who’s listening in on your calls.
If you’re unaware of how tempting VoIP calls are for hackers, you’re no longer so. With military-grade encryption, you don’t have to worry about the sensitivity of your calls to clients, family, and friends.
6. Take Advantage of Multi-Access
One of the key perks of using a VPN is your ability to access different internal IP addresses. That’s right, you’re not only locked into one secure IP address. There are many you can choose from, as well as others that make you seem like you’re located in a different location or country. But, we’ll get to that in a bit.
Having different IP addresses will enable both you and your employees to access your internal network folders, drivers, servers, and even establish secure and stable remote access to your work devices.
7. Boost Your Internet Speed
It’s an open secret that some ISPs are notorious for metering or throttling some of their users’ bandwidth. This move aims to have you upgrade to a faster service. Also, your internet speed might be suffering due to sharing your bandwidth with other users.
Thankfully, a VPN will help you communicate directly with a remote server, therefore whatever bandwidth limitations that your ISP might have put on your IP address.
No business or even a remote worker wants to sit and wait for big documents or files to download.
8. Get Unrestricted Internet Access Globally
If you happen to work in countries with more tight internet censorship and regulations, then having a VPN will be a godsend.
Besides, once travel picks up again, you’ll still be able to log into all the social media sites that you tend to frequent, as well as access other types of media that might have not been available to you.
With thousands of different remote servers that are located across the globe, you can connect to the server of your choice with a click of a button.
9. Build Trust With Clients and Customers
With all of the data breaches happening to businesses big and small, you’ll want to give your clients some peace of mind that you’re taking cybersecurity seriously.
This is even more essential for your business if you tend to collect client information that’s sensitive in nature.
For example, if you’re operating specific industries, like the financial markets or healthcare, privacy and data protection are non-negotiable. Between choosing your business or a competitor, clients will choose the one with the better security protocols without a second thought.
10. Securely Send and Receiving Money
Speaking of the financial markets, you don’t have to be working in one, or adjacent industry, to send or receive money electronically.
The movement of e-money can be as simple as going on an Amazon shopping spree or getting essential business raw materials from your suppliers.
Either process can expose your financial information to unsavory individuals that plan on selling it for huge sums of money on the dark web. Having a VPN keeps your financial data safe, whilst allowing you to shop online to your heart’s content.
11. Prevents Your ISP From Selling Your Data
Yes, if you’re a U.S.-based business or a regular individual, Congress permitted ISPs to sell your personal data in 2017.
Admittedly, this data is anonymized, yet there is something deeply uncomfortable (and morally challenging) about paying a monthly fee for your internet access, then having your ISP turn around and profit off your personal, private data as well.
After all, ISP will still have access to all of your browsing history, regardless of the frequent deletion of your history, or browsing in incognito mode.
With a VPN in place, you get to prevent your ISP from accessing your data-rich online footsteps.
12. Staying Anonymous While Doing Research
Actually, it’s staying anonymous while doing anything online. But, if you’re interested in checking out your competitor’s website in detail without worrying about leaving a trail of breadcrumbs behind, then a VPN is here to save the day.
Moreover, you might have to do some research that might be sensitive in nature for both your employees or (in some cases) the government itself.
A VPN will help immensely with protecting your identity and prevent any third-parties from being able to track you down or even your device.
Ready to Secure Your Data (and Online Life)?
We know that understanding what is a virtual private network, and the sheer number of benefits it can provide for both your personal and business life can be a bit overwhelming, especially for those uninitiated with cybersecurity measures.
But, we hope our guide helped illuminate the top 12 reasons we believe you should be getting a VPN sooner rather than later.
It’s simply one of the most effective ways to add a ton of extra security to your data all in one single swoop. In addition to its versatility, you’re now familiar with the depths of the benefits it brings. Now, you’re ready to start your research into the right VPN provider for you with a solid foundation.
