Virtual Private Network, or VPN for short, is the ability to create a secure network connection when utilizing public networks. VPNs mask your identity online and encrypt your internet activity. This makes it more challenging for outside parties to monitor your internet activities and steal data. This encryption occurs in real-time. If you are looking for IT service providers in UAE, then this is a must-read.
How does a VPN work?
A VPN will conceal your IP address by routing your network traffic through a specific set-up remote server that is managed by a VPN host. This way when you browse the internet, the VPN server becomes a source of your data. As a result, neither your Internet Service Provider (ISP) nor other parties will be able to see the websites you visit or the data you transmit and receive online. A VPN acts as a filter that turns your data into a bunch of mumbo jumbo. So, even if someone gets your data, they won’t understand a thing.
Benefits of a VPN Connection
A VPN connection hides your online data and protects it from any unwanted access. Anyone with network access and who wants to see can gain access to unencrypted data. When you use a VPN, hackers and online criminals won’t be able to decode the data.
- Secure encryption: Data must be decrypted using a key. Without one, it would take millions of years for a machine to successfully execute a brute force attempt to break the encryption. Even on public networks, a VPN masks your online activity.
- Concealing your location: Utilizing a VPN server to conceal your location is similar to using an online proxy server. Because the geographic location information comes from a server in another nation, your exact location cannot be determined. Additionally, the bulk of VPN providers don’t log your activities. However, many services track your activities without letting anybody else know. This indicates that all records of your user behavior, no matter how small, are kept hidden.
- Accessing regional material from various locations can be challenging at times. There is frequently content on services and websites that is only accessible in some regions of the world. Normal connections locate you by using local and national servers. Because of this, you cannot watch local content while away from home, and vice versa. By selecting a VPN server in a completely different country, you can essentially “change” your location.
- Secure data transfer: You could require remote access to important files on your corporate servers when working from a remote. A secure network is required for this kind of information for security concerns. Connecting to the network frequently requires a VPN connection. VPN services connect to private servers and employ encryption methods to reduce data leaks.
Why should you use a VPN connection?
Your ISP usually sets up your connectivity when you use the internet. Your IP address is used to keep an eye on you. Your network traffic is routed through the servers of your ISP, which are capable of recording and displaying everything you do online.
Despite the fact that your ISP might seem trustworthy, it might divulge information about your browsing habits to marketers, the government, or law enforcement. ISPs are also vulnerable to cybercriminal attacks: If they have been hacked, your sensitive information can be at risk.
This is vital if you regularly connect to public Wi-Fi networks. You never know who may be keeping an eye on your online behavior or what they might take from you, including passwords, private information, financial information, or even your entire identity.
Features of a good VPN
Your VPN should be able to perform multiple tasks apart from securing your data from hacking. You should look for the following characteristics in a complete VPN solution:
- IP address encryption: The primary purpose of a VPN is to hide your IP address from outside parties like your ISP. This makes it impossible for anyone to access the data you send or receive online other than you and the VPN provider.
- Protocol encryption: A VPN should also prevent you from leaving traces online, such as cookies and browsing and search history. Since it protects unwanted parties from obtaining your private information, cookie encryption is important. This applies to any website material, including any personal or financial data.
- Kill switch: Keep in mind that if your VPN connection is ended abruptly, your secure connection will be lost. A powerful VPN can detect this short moment of outage and terminate preselected apps, lowering the likelihood that data may be compromised.
- Two-factor authentication: A strong VPN uses a variety of authentication methods to confirm each user who attempts to log in. For instance, if a code is given to your cell phone, you can be forced to enter a password. This is a great approach to guard against someone breaking into your encrypted connection.
Types of VPNs available
Here are some of the popular VPNs available.
SSL VPN
It is not necessary that every employee in an organization will have access to a company laptop that they can use when they work from home. Many companies faced the issue of not having sufficient equipment for their staff during The Corona time in 2020. In these circumstances, using a private device (PC, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet) is often used. At such situations, organizations choose an SSL-VPN solution, that is implemented using a suitable hardware box.
Usually, in order to access the company’s login page, a browser that supports HTML-5 is required. There are various browsers that will support HTML-5 in every OS. A username and password are used to protect access.
Site-to-Site VPN
A site-to-site is a virtual private network, or VPN, created to hide private intranets and enable users of these secure networks to access one other’s resources.
A site-to-site VPN is an excellent choice if your business has several locations, each of which has a local area network (LAN) connecting to the wide area network (WAN). Site-to-Site VPNs can be an excellent choice if you wish to send files between two different intranets without expressly allowing people from one intranet to access the other.
Site-to-Site VPNs are usually used in large companies. It doesn’t have the same versatility as SSL VPNs and can be challenging to implement. However, they are an excellent choice to ensure communication within departments.
Client-to-Server VPN
You can picture using a VPN client as an extension cable to link your personal PC to the business. Employees can use the secure connection to dial into the corporate network from their home office and operate as though they were physically present in the office. A VPN client must first install and set up.
This includes the user connecting straight through their VPN provider rather than through their own ISP to the internet. This will cut the VPN journey’s tunnel portion significantly in half. When you install the VPN, it will automatically encrypt the data before making it available to the user, unlike using it to hide the current internet connection with encryption.
This VPN type is quite popular, and is helpful for companies that offer public WLANs that aren’t secure. It guards against unauthorized access and network connection compromise and encrypts data all the way to the provider. Moreover, it evades any limitations on the user’s internet connection and stops ISPs from accessing any information which is unencrypted (such as if the government of a certain country restricts internet access).
Conclusion
Using a VPN connection, you may access the internet safely. With the help of the VPN, all of your data traffic is sent through a virtual, encrypted tunnel. This hides the location of your IP address when you visit the internet by masking it. A VPN connection is also secure from outside threats. Because only you have the key and no one else has it, you are the only one who can access the information in the encrypted channel. With a VPN, you can access content that is geographically prohibited from any location. Not all streaming services are accessible in every country. You can still get to them by using a VPN. Apple Macs and Windows machines may both use VPN services.
Today, several businesses provide VPN connections for smartphones that safeguard the confidentiality of mobile data transmission. Accredited service providers are available for download via the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. But remember that a VPN only secures and masks your internet data traffic. A VPN connection won’t shield you from infections like viruses, Trojan horses, or hacker attacks. You should therefore use additional trustworthy antivirus software.
Want to know more? We at Info Bytes are the top IT solution providers in Dubai, UAE who can provide you with holistic solutions that protect your company and keep your confidential information secure. Call us today at +971509494506.
