The Advantages of Utilizing a VPN for Business Purposes

Protect your company from cyberattacks with a VPN. This technology creates a secure network connection while using a public network and encrypts connections made over the internet. Do you know 65% of cyberattacks happened on small-to-medium-sized businesses? Large businesses employ world-class security protocols like Quantum Encryption, and they are safe. So, small-to-medium-sized businesses must consider keeping online activity secure. With telecommuting and remote work becoming more common, ensure your employees can work safely from anywhere.

What is a VPN?

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a technology that allows you to create a secure and private connection over a public network, typically the Internet. It enables you to send and receive data while maintaining privacy and security by encrypting your network traffic.

When you use a VPN, your internet traffic is routed through a remote server operated by the VPN service provider. This server acts as an intermediary between your device and the websites or online services you access. The data passing between your device and the VPN server is encrypted, meaning it is encoded in a way that makes it difficult for anyone else to intercept or access.

Should you use a VPN for business purposes?

In today's remote work environment, employees often rely on various networks, including airport Wi-Fi and other unsecured connections, to upload company files while traveling. However, this practice poses significant security risks. Fortunately, there is a solution: utilizing a Virtual Private Network (VPN). By using a VPN, employees can securely access company resources from any location, ensuring data confidentiality and protecting sensitive information. VPNs have become an essential tool in modern business settings, offering a reliable and secure means of remote connectivity.

What are the advantages of VPN in business?

Did you know that 67% of SMBs were attacked last year, according to a Ponemon Institute survey? And with the rise of practices like BYOD and remote working, your cybersecurity risks only increase. While larger businesses may have more resources to invest in IT security solutions, small businesses must be especially vigilant to protect themselves. While security is the main reason for choosing a VPN for business, it is not the only one. Now we will understand the main benefits of using a VPN in business operations.

1. Secure Your Network

The advantages of using a VPN are extensive. One of the most crucial is that businesses can effectively secure their network. Without your knowledge, applications or websites track your online activity, analyze the data, and use it to target you with ads. Pop-up ads can interrupt your browsing experience without a VPN and be a general nuisance.

Using a VPN can help prevent people, software, and web browsers from accessing your connection. This keeps the information you transmit on team chat, internet calling apps, and others secure.

All business owners are looking for ways to protect themselves, and VPN for business provides an effective tool. How does a VPN protect a business? First, a good VPN prevents outsiders from connecting to your network. Secondly, it prevents data leaks. Thirdly, it hides all the contents of the channel from the owners of the network from which remote employees work. These are just a few of the ways; there are more. A good VPN for Windows 10, such as VeePN, is often enough to fend off most attacks against small and sometimes even mid-sized organizations. For those considering various options, a comprehensive list of the top VPN providers could offer additional choices suited for different business needs. Larger companies need more sophisticated security methods, but a VPN is still the most budget-friendly yet effective option for everyone else.

2. Reduction of Security Breach Risk

Site-to-site VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between each site's VPN gateways. This creates a single wide-area network (WAN) that employees in all office locations can use, restricting external access. Additionally, if it is used for clients, the WAN is shared only between specific clients and the headquarters/service center. This ensures that when an employee or client needs to access internal resources, they can do so safely without risking any breaches from external parties.

An administrator must establish a policy limiting resource access to network users to accomplish this. Since employees/clients who use the site-to-site VPN client are within the local network, while third parties who do not are outside, this rule is very easy to articulate!

3. Increases Employee Productivity

Even when employees are working remotely or outside of the office, they often require access to services that are exclusively available through the company's network. Thankfully, with the widespread availability of high-speed internet access through cellular data networks and ubiquitous Wi-Fi hotspots, the internet is almost always accessible. By leveraging this pervasive internet access, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) enables convenient and efficient access to private company networks.

By combining a VPN with mobile internet access, employees can securely connect to enterprise applications and resources on their mobile devices. This integration empowers them to maintain high levels of productivity, regardless of their location. With a VPN, employees can securely access and utilize the company's network, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of data transmission. This capability is particularly valuable for remote work scenarios, as it enables employees to seamlessly access enterprise services and applications, contributing to enhanced productivity and overall operational efficiency.

4. Protecting Customer Data

When it comes to collecting data from clients, customers, and patients, it's crucial to address the inherent risks involved. Fortunately, there are measures you can take to alleviate concerns and prioritize data security, such as implementing a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Unlike proxy servers that only protect specific applications or browsers, VPNs offer comprehensive protection by encrypting all data transmitted to and from a device. By choosing a company that implements a VPN, you demonstrate your commitment to data security and privacy. This extra step can instill confidence in your clients, customers, and patients, as they will feel assured that their data is being handled with the utmost care and security. Ultimately, opting for a company that prioritizes data protection is a wise choice that can enhance trust and strengthen relationships with your stakeholders.

5. Cost- and Time-Saving

By utilizing site-to-site VPN, companies can bypass the need for costly physical network connections between headquarters and locations. This can reduce time and financial expenditures and alleviate the burden on the IT department. Additionally, purchasing a site-to-site VPN solution will result in it being serviced by the provider, further reducing the workload. Furthermore, with site-to-site VPN, there is no need to obtain individual VPN software for each device. This can help save costs, especially for large organizations with numerous employees across the globe.

Installing a VPN app on every device is time-consuming and expensive, not to mention the inundation of IT support tickets on setup instructions! Instead, small businesses with few employees should consider using remote-access VPNs to cut costs.

6. Avoid Bandwidth Throttling

Bandwidth throttling refers to intentionally slowing down your internet speed by your internet service provider (ISP) or other parties who can control your Wi-Fi performance, which may occur when accessing specific websites or engaging in particular internet activities. If a digital VPN service is used, mobile traffic can be encrypted to prevent others from viewing which websites are visited.

Bandwidth throttling can be caused by the websites you visit or your specific online activities. If your ISP cannot monitor your data usage, it cannot throttle your bandwidth. However, they may still reduce your data transfer rates during peak hours to accommodate other users. Most companies and employees using your internet connection are unlikely to be throttled for this reason, and adopting a VPN eliminates this possibility altogether.

7. Get Access to Geo-blocked Services

By utilizing a VPN, you can acquire a different Internet Protocol (IP) address, which plays a significant role in determining the device's perceived location as it engages in online activities like browsing the Internet or streaming content. Certain websites and services impose access limitations based on users' geographical locations, particularly in the case of streaming platforms that cater to specific regions. Additionally, some business websites restrict access to their public work services depending on the user's location. For instance, obtaining quotes or accessing detailed information about services may be limited to specific geographic areas.

With a VPN, you can circumvent these location-based restrictions by masking your actual IP address and appearing as if you are accessing the internet from a different location. This allows you to bypass geographic limitations and access content or services that might otherwise be restricted. Whether for personal use or business requirements, a VPN can be a valuable tool for overcoming such barriers and expanding access to a wider range of online resources and services.

8. Network Scalability

Although a private network can help launch your business, expanding it can be prohibitively expensive. A VPN service allows you to facilitate simultaneous access to many employees and remote workers, along with running important applications through a secure VPN tunnel in a cloud environment.

This may include anything from email to fully-fledged applications that usually run on desktop computers. Once employees connect to the VPN, they can access another computer to run the required application. Access to the VPN and consequently the application is available to each employee with login credentials. To add new team members, you just need to provide the login details and, if necessary, increase the bandwidth.

9. Reduce Support Costs

By setting up a VPN that employs cloud computing architecture, you can significantly reduce the costs associated with support services. With an on-site configuration, internal IT staff is generally tasked with server performance and maintenance, including monitoring throughput, potential cyber threats, and evaluating overall performance.

Furthermore, if a problem arises, more efforts should be devoted to addressing it and its impact on the organization.

A VPN, however, allows for all maintenance, performance checks, and security measures to be handled by the service provider. Their IT spending is supported by numerous paying customers, resulting in relatively low costs per client. The resulting cost savings are passed onto you in the form of lower fees compared to hiring a dedicated team to manage your infrastructure. This is undoubtedly one of the most significant benefits of a VPN.

10. Support a BYOD policy

A BYOD policy offers benefits like increased productivity and cost savings. However, it comes with security risks. Unsecured networks outside the office can expose sensitive data. To support a secure BYOD policy, implement strong security policies, use mobile device management solutions, enforce VPN usage, educate employees, and promote cybersecurity awareness. Striking a balance between the benefits and security measures can ensure the success of a BYOD policy.

Conclusion

A VPN is an essential security measure for businesses of all sizes. Not only does it provide the most secure connection, but it also offers a wide range of benefits, from cost-saving measures to more efficient network scalability. By implementing a VPN, you can ensure both your customer's data and your own remain safe and secure at all times. So take advantage of these great VPN benefits for your business.