The Top Misconceptions About Business VPNs
If you have concerns about the safety and security of your company’s data on the Internet, you may have considered adding a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, to your security protocols. A VPN acts as a private tunnel within the ebb and flow of the Internet, encrypting your data to provide an added level of safety when it’s being transmitted. Because of its privacy features, it also protects you from snoops and cybercriminals, and it keeps your travels around the Internet private.
However, a lot of misconceptions still exist about VPNs and what they can (and can’t) do. Take a look at some of the most common misunderstandings about this important cybersecurity option to see just how a VPN might be useful to your business.
Misconception 1: All VPN Services Are Essentially the Same
With so many VPNs available, choosing between them can feel a bit overwhelming. It can be easy to assume they’re all basically the same. However, this isn’t really the case.
Better, stronger VPNs have more servers available, with locations all around the world. This can be crucial if your employees travel globally on business, and it also makes a drastic difference if you plan to use your VPN for streaming, gaming, or other high-bandwidth activities. That higher number of servers also provides greater speed for all your online traffic.
In addition, not all VPNs may support the platforms you use most. Yes, VPNs all work well with PCs, but if you’re using an Apple product or a mobile device, you need to look a little more closely at specific providers to make sure your platforms are supported. VPNs also vary by price and by length of term required. Pay attention to the features you need, and don’t assume that all VPNs are the same.
Misconception 2: VPNs Aren’t Legal
Perhaps because a few people use VPNs to stream online content that they haven’t paid for, a myth has grown among some people that VPNs themselves are not legal. That’s not true.
VPNs are absolutely legal, and they can be a valuable support for businesses conducting legal activities. Your business can rely on the extra cybersecurity provided by a VPN when conducting financial transactions and sending sensitive data, with no illegal activity involved.
Misconception 3: It’s Fine to Use a Free VPN
Plenty of free VPNs are on the market, and if your tech budget is tight, you may be tempted to use them. Don’t. Free VPNs are associated with all sorts of problems, including a failure to encrypt data and even spying on your internet activity — which fundamentally defeats the purpose of using a VPN in the first place.
Remember one of the key tenets of the Internet: if you’re not paying for a product, you are the product. If you choose a free VPN, you stand a perilously strong chance of having your private data harvested and sold to third parties without your consent or even your knowledge.
Misconception 4: Ad Trackers Can’t Find You If You Use a VPN
There are a lot of ways to track someone’s traffic on the Internet, and VPNs can thwart many of them. But ad tracking typically relies on cookies rather than identifying your IP address, which can still be places while using a VPN. To block cookies, you should look for browser extensions that stop ad trackers without affecting your browsing speed.
Misconception 5: Your VPN Slows Down Your Internet Connection
Yes, it’s true that a VPN requires some time to encrypt and send your data securely on the internet, plus time for decryption on the other end. But the effect it has on your internet speed is mostly a factor of your VPN provider’s server speed. To make sure you get the speedy connection that your business requires, work with reliable VPN providers that have ample servers around the world to provide the service you need.
A business VPN is one of the strongest cybersecurity protection measures you can put into place to protect your company’s and your clients’ data. When you avoid believing misconceptions about the value of VPNs, you position yourself to provide the security your company deserves.
