Security is of paramount importance for businesses. When it comes to a company website, there are many ways to ensure and enhance the security of your online presence. For example, it can be a reliable VPS plan purchased with cryptocurrency to support anonymity, like having Germany VPS with Bitcoin pay. Another way to protect your business data is to use VPN. This article will tell you all about why use VPN, its pros and cons, and how to choose a reliable VPN provider for your company’s online presence.

What is a VPN exactly?

Every entity leaves a digital footprint when accessing the web. This “footprint” can be traced back to the user or the company that’s left it. All that means that if you constantly leave traces of your Internet activity, it makes you more vulnerable to marketers, bots, scammers, or hackers, who can abuse the traces of information for their gain. Virtual Private Network or VPN, in this context, helps establish a secure connection between the web and the device used to access it. VPN makes it much harder for hackers to penetrate the secure encrypted channel it creates. How? VPN hides the IP address that your Internet service provider gives you and lets you use the random one. If you don’t use a VPN, your Internet service provider can see everything you do on the web. With VPN, your ISP still has your traffic coming through them, but it no longer has access to details of it.

Why use a VPN to mask your company’s presence online?

In most cases, scammers or hackers pursue the financial goal when committing fraud. And even though, often individuals are easier to trick, businesses have more to offer from a financial standpoint. Scammers can be after your client base information or your billing and overall financial details. The thing with cybersecurity is that there’s not much you can do once the attack is completed and the data breach occurs. So, it is better to focus on fraud prevention methods and overall protection of your online presence. In general, VPN significantly narrows down the channels hackers can use to access your data. Some VPN providers have malware scanning features, that protect you from webpages known for being malicious. Based on the VPN functionality, it can also prevent trackers and fraudulent ads from getting to you. VPN can be not only used to prevent cyberattacks but also to promote cybersecurity awareness. Using a VPN is one of the simplest ways to support the security of your business. Overall, VPN can be the very first step towards educating your employees on the matter of threat defense. Very often a gateway for cyber attacks is opened by human errors. But to answer the question of why use a VPN to mask your company’s presence online, it’s simple – using a VPN will prevent reputational and financial damage to your business or organization. Purchasing, or even using free VPN practices, is much cheaper than dealing with the consequences such as losing customers or being dragged into the legal implications of the compromised data.

Pros and cons of using the VPN

VPN offers countless advantages, however, it cannot cover every business need. So, let’s look at the pros and cons of a VPN so that you can determine what’s more important to you.

Pros of using a VPN

• Increased privacy. One of the primary reasons for using a VPN is to increase the privacy of your online presence. Using a VPN successfully prevents leaving traces of your online activity.
• No geographical restrictions. VPN makes it possible to access geo-restricted sources. This aspect might be helpful in marketing and SEO optimization, when, for example, you need to research the pain points of the target audience from another country.
• Cost efficiency. VPN allows individuals to access the company’s resources from anywhere in the world and not rely on expensive hardware in the office or be restricted to a specific location. VPNs bypass geographical restrictions and provide remote access to employees, saving significant money amounts.
• Enhanced productivity. Using a VPN allows increasing productivity thanks to the secure connection established between devices and the web. This means that there are fewer distractions, like ads or unsolicited emails, that take up the additional processing power.
• Strengthening customer trust. If you take customers’ data responsibly by using a VPN, and even specify it on your official channels, it can boost your reputation in the eyes of your potential customers. Using a VPN prevents many threats like data leakage, the consequences of which include reputational damage and compromised sensitive information.

Cons of using a VPN

• VPN is not a guarantee for 100% protection from security threats. A VPN does provide an extra layer of security, but it should not be used as an ultimate protective solution. VPN is best used in combination with other security measures, not a stand-alone technique.
• Restricted access to certain websites. One of the purposes of using a VPN is getting access to geo-restricted content. However, some platforms purposefully limit the functionality VPN users can access due to licensing agreements.
• Some VPN providers keep your data. Since using a VPN implies that you connect to the VPN server, your Internet activity is visible to the VPN provider. If you use the services of an unreliable VPN provider, your privacy cannot be assured.

Overall, using a VPN is associated with more advantages, than disadvantages. The consequences of handling your unencrypted data to multiple web sources might be huge in terms of damage to the reputation of your business and the data associated with it. Choosing a reliable VPN provider will most likely spare you from the downsides of using a VPN.

How to choose a VPN provider

Choosing a reliable VPN service is essential for reaping the benefits of the virtual private network. Thus, here are key considerations you have to pay attention to when choosing a VPN service:

1. Server locations and network. It’s better to look for a provider with a range of server locations. It then makes it easy to switch the location if needed. A server located in proximity to your target audience or your place of residence will minimize latency and increase the browsing speed.
2. Performance. Look for VPN providers that offer high-speed connectivity, since using a VPN can decrease processing speed in some cases. Make sure that the server used to provide virtual private networks is robust and can handle significant load.
3. Security features. A VPN provider should offer a variety of encryption protocols to secure your online presence. Ideally, a VPN provider should offer a no-logs policy, meaning your online activity is not accessed by the vendor.
4. Easy integration. Pay attention to which operating systems and devices a VPN provider supports. Also, check if you can use VPN simultaneously on different devices for your convenience.
5. Accessibility. You shouldn’t spend extra time figuring out how to manage your VPN; the service should be easy to use and understand. Pay attention to the interface offered for managing a VPN and see if it’s comfortable for you to use.