Knowing the pros and cons of a VPN can help your organization decide whether and how to use one. In many cases, the advantages of using a VPN outweigh the disadvantages. How important is having a VPN? What are the benefits of a VPN? When configured correctly, it can significantly improve your company’s security. Consider the pros and cons of VPNs below to determine which one is best for your business.
Protecting Your Network
The benefits of using a VPN are huge. One of the most important factors is how effectively companies secure their networks. Apps or websites can track your online activity without your knowledge. They can then analyze the data they collect and use it to try to show you ads. Without a VPN, you may experience a barrage of pop-up ads that hamper your browsing experience and become a general annoyance.
Use a VPN to prevent people, programs, and web browsers from accessing your connection. Therefore, the information you send and receive is secure and anonymous.
Hide Your Private Information
Another great feature of VPN is the ability to hide your private information. There are several ways hackers can intercept the sensitive information you enter on a website. With this information, they can try to impersonate you, access bank accounts, credit card information, and more. However, with a VPN, you can enjoy advanced security such as 256-bit encryption. This makes all your online communication look like a jumble of text and characters to anyone who can find a way to intercept it.
Preventing data throttling
Data throttling occurs when you consume a certain amount of available data and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) decides to limit your service. If you have a VPN, you’ll quickly discover that one of the benefits of a VPN is the ability to avoid data throttling, especially since not even your ISP can tell how much data you’re using. This is especially useful for employees who need to use a data plan on a smart device while accessing the Internet while traveling.
Avoid bandwidth throttling
Bandwidth throttling occurs when your Internet service provider or someone who can control the operation of your Wi-Fi network intentionally slows down your internet speed Sometimes this happens when you visit certain websites or engage in certain online activities. If you use a digital VPN service, your device’s mobile traffic may be encrypted. With encryption, others can’t see what websites you visit.
Because bandwidth throttling is sometimes triggered by the websites you use or the type of activity you engage in, your ISP cannot see the data to and from your device and therefore , cannot limit them in these cases. However, they may still throttle your data at certain times of the day to free up bandwidth for other users.
In most cases, employees and others using your Internet connection will not be restricted based on their Internet usage, but using a VPN allows companies to mask their data transmissions and completely eliminate the possibility.
Access to geo-restricted services
With a VPN, you can get a different Internet Protocol (IP) address. An IP address tells you where a device is when you browse the Internet, stream content, or engage in other online activities. Some websites and services do not allow users in certain countries to access some or all of the content you offer. This is common among streaming services that cater to specific locations.
Some corporate websites restrict your use of their public works services, such as getting a quote or accessing more specific information about their services, often based on your location. By downloading a VPN, you can make it appear that you are accessing the Internet from a location that is acceptable to the service you are trying to access.
If your employees need full access to all the information and secure services offered by a website, a VPN can make it easy for them.
