A Virtual Private Network – or “VPN” – is a technology service that protects your online activity through an encrypted connection tunnel.
This tunnel scrambles your connection so that outside parties cannot determine your precise location, nor can your data be intercepted or understood. Simply accessing the internet without a VPN can expose your location, online activity, and identity. Without a VPN – no matter the type of online activity – you should expect to have little to no privacy.
Simply accessing WiFi with a password is not enough.
Do not fall into the trap of presuming that a password-protected WiFi network is “secure.” In fact, you should always assume that a network such as this is not secure.
Alternatively, by having a VPN service on your devices, you can quickly activate it on the go while feeling rest assured that you are accessing online services discreetly.
VPN is a viable and effective option for private use and small organizations.
While large organizations have their own needs and methods for dedicated VPN connections, you too can implement VPN connections across your computers, laptops, tablets, and even your smartphones. This entails selecting a provider you pay a recurring subscription to cover a set number of unique devices to connect your VPN. You can enable VPN on virtually any device which can access the internet. It can easily be turned on or off at will when you feel it is safe or necessary to do so.
Say you currently live in Europe. You’d like to stream a U.S.-specific channel or service and find that the particular service is not provided (or authorized) in Europe, based on geographic restrictions (limited to North America). The content is not shown to you because your Internet I.P. address registers your location in Europe. With a VPN service, you can temporarily obtain a “local” I.P. Address (from North America), giving the appearance that you are accessing the internet from within an “authorized” area, thus making the desired content or service available.
On the other hand, a business user would benefit from a VPN to safeguard online communications or data transmission in a country where the internet is strongly monitored or censored. A VPN would afford business users peace of mind while protecting their intellectual property and sensitive communications.
