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Business security used to mean keeping a good strong lock on the gates and employing a man with a dog to patrol the fences at night. However, today’s businesses need a much more sophisticated approach to dealing with their security.
That’s because the digital revolution has created a world where the greatest threats to a commercial operation can come from the cyber connections we all communicate by. The result of this revolution is that more and more businesses want to maintain online privacy.
Everyone is now worried about being hacked and having data stolen or malware introduced into their network. Today, businesses’ main security problem is to prevent unauthorised access to their digital operations.
That’s why today’s most successful commercial entities have mastered the latest processes and systems. They have recognised how to use the best technologies to boost your business.
One of the most important of these is having a safe computer network. Nobody wants strangers watching, tracking or even spying on what they do – and it’s the same in the digital world.
Over the years, businesses have increasingly moved into using a VPN system as the best way of maintaining their digital privacy.
This is a way of masking a user’s true IP address, taking on the address of the VPN web server instead. It means you are giving employers and staff online anonymity.
The VPN system means your data cannot be tracked back to the original user device – it is diverted through a VPN server instead. This detour makes it significantly more difficult for any criminal hackers to access your business’s security systems.
But what is a VPN?
The initials VPN stand for ‘virtual private network’. Put simply, it’s a way for businesses to encrypt their traffic.
When any digital device connects to the internet, it does so through an internet service provider. But when you use a VPN, you connect to that first, which masks who you really are.
There are several reasons for a VPN. Using a virtual private network allows employees to easily connect to a secure company server – wherever in the world they are.
As long as you are a trusted user, the private network creates an encrypted connection between your server and a device trying to connect to it.
So for businesses of any size, a VPN can allow staff to access the company data and systems quickly and safely, wherever they are in the world. Many companies now use them as an essential part of their remote working or working-from-home system.
Note that it is still important for businesses to keep up to date with all the network technologies and systems as they evolve.
The way digital traffic works has changed in the last decade. Most users now connect via the Cloud.
For many companies, it can pay to consult networking experts to find the best enterprise VPN alternatives.
VPNs still have a lot to offer some businesses, but it also pays to look at evolving alternatives that could be even more secure.
What is a business VPN?
Using a VPN allows a business to create secure internet connections. This allows its staff and network users to link to the company servers in complete privacy.
The remote devices being used can be anywhere in the world – and because of the VPN system, they can still quickly and easily connect to one or more company servers.
Using business VPNs avoids the risk of exposing the company’s sensitive data to the full glare of the public internet.
This means the company can avoid the risks of connecting via the normal open internet. Browsing using a public wi-fi system can leave you very vulnerable to someone accessing your traffic, stealing your data or invading your system.
Generally, your data is invisible to hackers if you are using a VPN system. And a VPN also allows a business with multiple locations to connect them on a single secure network, both safely and cost-effectively.
What are the advantages of using a VPN?
The prime reason for any business choosing to adopt a VPN system is that it can secure the transfer of company data. Even if you have a good quality protection system and use cloud data storage, the VPN can provide an extra layer of security.
Businesses with several physical locations can link them together via a single server which will be protected by the VPN system. Employees working remotely or from home can access the company system easily and safely.
Company staff can access the business network easily – even in countries that may monitor and restrict web traffic. Because of the VPN anonymity, your staff will have open access wherever they are.
Best features of a business VPN
All VPN systems work with Windows PCs – but not all of them can link to mobile phone technology. Smartphones and tablets are increasingly important in many businesses, so the ability to link to a wide range of platforms like iOS, Android and Linux is vital and will become more and more crucial in the future.
Businesses should always check for VPN systems that offer multiple server locations. It’s a way of further increasing anonymity – by spreading your encrypted traffic among various servers.
So modern businesses should consider the benefits of using VPN systems and check similar alternatives that may be even more sophisticated. After all, nobody wants to have their rivals spying on them, do they?
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