How a VPN Does (and Doesn’t) Protect Your Business

What if we told you that not all VPNs were created equal? What if we said that some are meant to be used by consumers, while others are meant to be used for businesses that need to keep data secure while out of the office? Today, we want to clear up some misconceptions about what virtual private networks do, how they work, and what they actually protect you from—as well as how you can get started with a business-grade VPN today.

Let’s dive in.

How VPNs Protect the User

In essence, a VPN is an encrypted tunnel between your PC and your VPN provider’s server. This means that your Internet traffic is routed through their servers rather than your own, which makes it appear like your traffic is coming from somewhere else.

The encryption is the big thing here, as it basically eliminates any chance that someone observing your traffic can actually see anything of note. A VPN is incredibly important for this reason, as any data transmitted without encryption is at risk of being intercepted. A solid VPN should also hide your IP address, so websites you visit cannot automatically figure out where you’re located or who your Internet service provider is.

While a VPN is great for privacy, there are some things that it doesn’t do, and that’s equally important to know if you plan to use one.

VPNs Can’t Guarantee Privacy

While a VPN does wonders for your privacy, certain actions taken by the user might undermine all of its efforts at keeping your browsing private:

• Customizations on your browser - The more you customize your user experience on your device, the more likely it is that a website can learn more about you. A VPN isn’t going to stop the system from reading how to correctly display content, system fonts, your browser, plugins and extensions, and other important details. Trust us when we say this kind of information is valuable to people, from marketers to cybercriminals.
• Logging into services you want to avoid - If you want to be more anonymous when using certain web services or apps, logging into them does exactly the opposite. Even when using a VPN, you should log out of services that you’re trying to be more anonymous in.
• Tracking cookies - Even if you’re using a VPN, we recommend you use a different browser in a private browsing mode. What this does is it removes tracking cookies and other bits of information that help others track your activity online.

But what if all of this doesn’t feel like enough? What if you want a guarantee that your data will be as secure as possible, especially when using a VPN?

A VPN Is Still Great for Security

All that said, you should still implement an enterprise-grade virtual private network solution that can encrypt data sent to and from your device.

The reason is simple: data is at its most vulnerable while it’s in transit. Any hacker can intercept web traffic if they know what they’re doing.

That doesn’t mean you have to roll over and take it; in fact, we recommend you do the exact opposite.

Omega Technical Solutions can assist you with implementing the right virtual private network—a solid enterprise-level VPN, not one of those consumer-grade solutions you see sponsored in YouTube videos.

We’re on a mission to provide the best managed IT solutions to businesses just like yours in the Washington Metropolitan community. If you’re ready to invest in greater security solutions and technology that works for your business’ specific needs, contact us at (703) 743-3056 today.