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Key Things You Should Know About VPN
Online protection and security are becoming increasingly valuable for business due to the privacy concerns we are facing more and more frequently. The first thing that comes to mind to address this problem (and other ones) is a reliable VPN service. You have most likely heard this acronym many times but the gaps in your knowledge may be significant. This feels like the right moment to catch up, so let’s walk through the basics.
What is a VPN?
A VPN stands for “virtual private network”, a technology used to access the internet safely and privately by routing the connection through a server and hiding online activity. The technology offers water-tight transactions and communication, thus reducing the risk of data loss. A VPN meets the needs of companies with remote offices, entrepreneurs, mobile employees, marketers and anyone who is looking to shield their browsing behavior from outside eyes. The list of its advantages can go on. However, below we outlined only the key ones everyone should be aware of.
Few compelling reasons to use a VPN
We’d like to start by saying, all the benefits described below relate to a paid VPN service, like KeepSolid VPN Unlimited. Why? Put yourself in the shoes of a VPN host. Would it be reasonable to spend precious time, resources and energy with nothing in return? The obvious answer is no. To generate income, free VPN services need to reinvent the wheel. The result of this creative activity are ads in the app or logs of users’ activities that are sold to third-party data companies.
Without further ado, let’s get to major benefits of a VPN whereby it excels other similar solutions on the market:
The app allows users to bypass ISP bandwidth throttling
ISPs increase their profits by throttling users’ internet speed when they connect to certain websites or streaming services. For example, this results in more time required for a video to load instead of watching it smoothly. VPN apps enable you to hide your identity and online activities. More importantly, they offer fast performance and excellent speeds.
The app enhances internet security
The main purpose of a VPN is to increase users’ internet security and privacy by sending their data through an encrypted tunnel. As a result, the personal information is kept away from the prying eyes of the governments, ISPs or malicious guys, like hackers.
Most VPNs use AES or Advanced Encryption Standard, the cipher for electronic data. One of the most widespread options for solid security is AES 256-bit encryption producing a staggering 1.1579×10 to the power of 77 possible keys. Even using the power of all the world’s computers won’t help to pull off a brute-force attack to crack a symmetric 256-bit key.
Some VPNs go even further. For instance, they have a kill switch feature, designed to prevent your connection from accidental exposure.
The app helps users bypass geo restrictions and location errors
We know all too well about the challenges posed by censorship in certain countries. The easiest way to unblock unavailable content is to get a reliable VPN service. Web traffic encryption will mean you don’t have to worry about authorities snooping around.
VPN services are regarded as a great option for unblocking geo-restricted content. The apps have a strict no-logs policy, multiple device connectivity and dedicated IP addresses for faster connections.
The app protects your online privacy while using public Wi-Fi
A public internet connection (such as AT&T or one of the things Comcast charges you for) is a type of network accessible to anyone. Sharing pics with relatives hundreds of miles away or connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops while having a latte is a common practice for most of us. It’s certainly, convenient but public networks are often unsecured, posing security risks to users.
With a VPN service, you will be able to make the most out of online protection. All the security protocols are available at your fingertips. OpenVPN is our preferred one, but there are also PPTP and L2TP/IPsec VPN for you to make the choice.
In taking stock of the above
A VPN is the Swiss army knife of online tools. It dramatically improves your personal and business privacy, and your overall security both on and from the internet.
Photo courtesy of Pexels user Pixabay
