Creating your own business on the Internet requires mandatory security for personal data and developments. In this case, you need to be able to use various tips to ensure cybersecurity, to train your employees, as well as, among other things, to install a reliable VPN.
VPN for business will not only help you with cybersecurity, but it will also provide access to various inaccessible servers, block unnecessary advertising, help change the location. We will tell more about all the VPN tools for your business in this article
Currently, 25 percent of Internet users use a VPN at least once a month. The VPN services market is gradually expanding, its volume this year amounted to $23.6 billion, and by 2022, experts predict an increase in this figure up to $35.73 billion. Most often VPN is used by ordinary users mainly to access forbidden content and provide their anonymity online. But businesses are not lagging - all sorts of companies are increasingly active with VPNs. But for what purpose?
First, let's understand what a VPN for business is. First and foremost, it is a service or application that provides end-to-end encryption for a company's network-connected devices. A VPN provides a secure connection for all devices connected to the VPN, whether they are in the office, a branch office in a nearby city, or another country.
What does a VPN do for business?
An extra layer of protection
A few years ago, a group of IT security experts experimented. A laptop with a freshly installed operating system and security disabled was connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable. After a few seconds, special software detected traces of an attack on this device, and then they started repeating almost continuously.
For businesses, reliable cyber security is the foundation of normal operations. And the larger the company, the more security features have to be put in place as the consequences of hacking become extremely critical and very costly.
A VPN provides an extra layer of security. This technology encrypts absolutely all data transmitted over a private network connection. In addition, there are VPN services that provide additional protection against malware. Antivirus software protects against 75 percent of the most common malware and malicious attacks. Countering the remaining 25 percent is the job of the VPN. Encryption allows for the security of stored documents, customer channels, internal communications, etc.
A VPN allows you to change the IP of a connected device, be it a phone, tablet, computer, or anything else. Consequently, cybercriminals have no way to track users of VPN services.
The ability to connect to your corporate network from anywhere
And it's not just about connectivity, it's about a secure channel of communication that is extremely difficult to compromise. Today's companies often either partially telecommute with some of their employees or do not have a physical office at all, preferring instead to use a virtual one. For all employees to be able to connect to corporate resources, this connection needs to be secured with a VPN.
Previously, it was technologically difficult to organize such a scheme of work, because the configuration was "manual" - you had to modify the configuration files and use custom software. Now, everything is set up automatically or semi-automatically. Every employee can get his or her secure IP address if needed. The above applies to businesses of all sizes. Deploying a VPN in a large company requires a little more time to set up because you have to consider the connectivity of all branches and their rights within the protected network.
Market players are predicting that specialized VPN solutions for large businesses will soon emerge.
Access to blocked resources and services
We've written about censorship more than once, and we will continue to do so. It is coming as more and more countries are introducing internet censorship. Many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and North America have banned certain services and websites.
What should you do if a country bans a critical service? Only a VPN can help. As a result, you can use banned Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, and other services, when you are in China. With a VPN, you can get the IP of any region of the world and forget about censorship.
For example, since LinkedIn was blocked in Russia, the work of HR professionals has become considerably more difficult. An important channel of communication between job seekers and potential employers ceased to work. But a solution was quickly found. By the time the social network was blocked in Russia, there were already a large number of VPN services that solved the access problem. Almost all HR agencies now have the opportunity to use the LinkedIn business network to search for and vet job seekers without hindrance.
Reducing costs
It takes quite a lot of money and time to provide the level of protection within a company that a business VPN provides. Plus, experts are capable of setting everything up. If you use a cloud-based VPN, however, everything will work automatically. The need to hire your system administrator for this is minimized.
Another essential factor is the cost of hacking and remediation. For example, in 2017, it was estimated that hacking cost businesses an average of $7.35 million. Typically, direct losses are measured by the number of compromised customer accounts. When a company uses the end-to-end encryption provided by a VPN and a well-designed risk management system, the "cost" of a hack is reduced by 47 percent.
Security for customers
Many companies provide their customers with access to WiFi. Hotels, restaurants, cafes, airports - there is internet almost everywhere. But the bigger the public network, the more dangerous it is. If someone logs in to see the news, that's one thing. If a customer of an organization decides to log into their account, and enters all their access details, that's quite another.
An account can be compromised and a company will suffer reputational damage if the communication channel is not secured. The threat can not only be external but also internal - after all, the administrator of an open Wi-Fi network can collect any data that passes through the access point. If you use a VPN on user devices, the data of their owners will be protected and the administrator will not be able to obtain the personal data of the clients connected to the access point.
Anything else?
If you have a business and are concerned about protecting it, make sure you seek at least a one-off consultation with a specialist. They will study your company's structure, find the weakest areas, and develop guidelines and recommendations for both company technicians and rank-and-file employees.
It's important to understand that a VPN is not a cure-all. First and foremost, it is an inexpensive, reliable, and easy-to-use tool to solve a large number of threats, tasks, and problems. It should be used in conjunction with other measures.
Monica Miller, PR specialist, VeePN
- Also check out our list for the best VPN
