What is VPN? In simple terms, it is a technology that connects users to a virtual private network through an encrypted channel.
Home and corporate users both use VPN. The popularity for VPN lies in what it provides; exceptional benefits to secure private information in a world that seems to be all about challenging that task.
There are many unique benefits that come with VPN, a few of the top ones are privacy protection, an improvement in security, better connectivity and access to restricted resources.
A Look At Security
Today’s world is very interconnected, making security a huge challenge. The moment your mobile or PC connects to the internet the battle is on from hackers, viruses, malicious programs, as well as numerous new threats that are constantly making their presence known. On top of that, information which you send cam be intercepted and even changed.
Unfortunately, local solutions to these problems, like firewall and installing antivirus software is simply not an adequate measure. You need a separate, external solution to make sure that you have protection.
This is where VPNs really come into their own. That insecure connection between remote sources and you can be made secure with the helps of VPNs. Public networks, WiFis for example, are in especial need of VPNs. In fact, no network should be seen as insecure since the flow of communication goes through a number of points (routers), a hacker just needs to compromise one of these and they are able to compromise the flow of communication.
If you are connected to a VPN, the damage you will suffer from such a compromise in communication flow will be either minimal, or non existent. What is the reason for this? The VPN provides encryption, the data cannot be decrpyted and hence read. An attacker who has managed to capture VPN traffic will only see characters flowing between you and the VPN server, making the communication incomprehensible. That means the hacker won’t even be able to identify the remote resources you may be connected to (chats, sites and so forth). You can check out the best ones for you on VPN Analysis.
A Look At Privacy Protection
Since it’s easy for you to be identified when online, privacy poses a number of significant challenges. In other words, marketing company representatives with an aggressive approach, government officials and curious people can all find your name and location with relative ease.
The moment you connect online from your mobile or PC you are leaving footprints of your internet service provider as well as your IP address. This makes your personal information more readily available. You cannot rely on internet service providers or official regulations to protect you in this regard.
Yet again, your protection can be secured with VPNs. That means that whether you are listening to the radio, engaging in online chat or visiting sites, your identification will be the VPN provider, their IP address and their location. In other words, your own IP address and personal details are not disclosed.
It isn’t just the numerous abuses of personal data that makes VPN a good recommendation. Rather, it is a necessity for people who need to keep their identity secure, such as political activists.
Web proxies and other alternatives provide alternative solutions for protecting your identity, however their efficiency is not the same as VPN technology. For example, proxies tend to send information which includes details on the original IP address, this in effect makes them of no use when it comes to privacy.
A Look At Access To Restricted Resources
Some TVs, online radios and so forth, limit access to users within a set area or internet provider. For example, company policies may not allow their employees to access such sites as Facebook. These restrictions, which do not always prove to be reasonable, make the option of VPNs a necessity.
VPNs have a number of presence points across geographical areas. Since your identification is simply the VPN provider, you are not bound to geographical restrictions.
In countries where access to sites can come under strict restrictions, China being one example, VPNs are very popular. So long as the user is connected to a VPN they are able to access anything online.
The flip side also comes into play with access restrictions. You can limit the access to a particular private resource, for example you may share certain files with one segment of the network. From the security angle, this is essential as authentication alone is hardly suffice for the protection of sensitive data.
Again, the VPN can come to your assistance, allowing only the VPN network to make connections to the sensitive resources.
A Look At Better Connectivity
You may find that your internet routes are not great or your bandwidth has limitations when it comes to international resources. You see this as slow browsing and a generally negative web experience when you are trying to access resources which are far away from your location.
Connecting to a local VPN presence point will help you out in this situation. It will give you a bandwidth that will cover far away destinations in the same way as the bandwidth you have with the local VPN server.
In particular, users who have an ISP that differentiates between local and international will see improved connectivity. Since such providers use bandwidth limits when accessing international resources, the only way to avoid it is by using a VPN.
