What is a VPN?

What is VPN and why you need it

If you are concerned about your virtual security, surely you have read dozens of articles with the best recommendations. Use firewalls, create strong passwords, avoid phishing, and using VPNs are the most popular recommendations. Today we are going to focus on the latter, what is a VPN? and why should you use it?

When you work with or around IT wizards, you tend to hear a handful of alien-like words every day. Too often they can have you completely stumped. Or there may be that occasion, once in a blue moon, when you need to contact an IT Support staff member to voice a problem that you’re experiencing and ask for help.

Those technical words, that most of us outside of an IT environment, have little or no understanding of, go straight over our heads. Enter HelpDesk Heroes. We seize the responsibility of sharing invaluable information that every soul who is yet to be enlightened should know. If you are one of those souls, please continue reading.

Let’s start with the basics, what does VPN stand for? It means Virtual Private Network.

What is a VPN and how does it work

A Virtual Private Network is known for being the finest and most secure approach to remain protected while you are exploring online. It’s news to nobody that the internet has grown and became the core to almost all of our daily routines, tasks and careers. It has remained essential that VPNs must grow with it. The technical term - VPN is a standard in the world of secure browsing. It’s role being to protect you, with online security and when you are using using public networks.

In the same way that Firewall protects your data on a computer, VPNs perform this way online and preserve your browsing. This includes streaming and downloading data, as well as information for bank transactions.

This works by a VPN replacing the user’s IP address with their provider information. Easy, right? Your location can be completely disguised – you may be working from Tokyo yet your computer is telling everyone that you’re working in Los Angeles.

A VPN performs well for businesses too. It is possible to generate a private “channel” into your company network and devices to embrace the right to the confidential internal system.

In summary, a VPN is a protected and confidential solution. It permits users, either working as an individual or under an organization, to send and receive information whilst upholding the secrecy of your private network. Yes, that means ALL of your searches will be private.

Benefits of using a VPN

There are many advantages to using a VPN, the obvious one being security. Being the main cause for obtaining a VPN, organisations incredibly admire it’s use to protect their private data. However, they are becoming more and more popular amongst individuals also.

There is a bucketful of methods that interrupt data transmission within a network. This is not to say that you’re now invincible online and it’s impossible for any hacker to retrieve and steal your data, but, it helps. VPNs also serve a purpose of fighting off risky malware that can be acquired during browsing.

Internet Connection Strangling

It has also been analysed and proven that using a VPN can help to avoid your internet connection strangling. According to recent surveys and reports, the ISP (Internet Service Provider) Verizon has restricted Netflix streaming at 10Mbps and also strangled video on its limitless plans, which simply means that Smartphones cannot attain a better quality video than 480 pixels. Therefore, using VPNs are extremely beneficial if you’re a Netflix, Amazon Prime or YouTube buff.

VPN for Communication

If the privacy of your company’s data isn’t enough to convince you that you need one (it should be), VPN’s can also be cost effective for organizations, or personal use. How? by reducing your monthly phone bill. Those expensive overseas calls that will cost you £20 to check up on your cousins living half way across the world can be sliced by replacing access users and dial up network channels with your VPN.

I could completely drown you in further information regarding Virtual Private Networks, but if I did, this could well and truly be the part where everything I say begins to go over our heads. Hopefully, with this information and knowledge, you’re ready to go and set up your VPN. Contact us for more information or advice, we’d enjoy helping set up your private and sleuthing future.

Read more from our blog

Risks associated with outdated or poorly managed IT infrastructure IT challenges

Tips for maximizing the value of your managed IT services plan IT challenges

How to effectively manage and monitor your IT services IT Services

Risks associated with outdated or poorly managed IT infrastructure IT challenges

Tips for maximizing the value of your managed IT services plan IT challenges

How to effectively manage and monitor your IT services IT Services