Have you ever wondered how secure your connection to the Internet is? Most of us use the Internet to some degree every day, be it researching, shopping online, or using Facebook or YouTube. You probably access the Internet wirelessly, via either WiFi or your smartphone’s data network. But these connections are not necessarily secure – read more about secure wifi networks here. But there is a simple way to create a secure connection: use a VPN, or Virtual Private Network. Read on to learn more about how they work.
What is it?
A virtual private network is a service that provides a secure connection between your computer or device and the Internet. Without it, your data flows freely between the Internet server and your computer, so anyone with the skills can access it. A VPN, however, encrypts the data sent to and from your device. A virtual private network operates as a third party application that accesses the Internet for you. This means that the Internet server sees only the VPN as the user and not your device. It also means that the data you send it secured, or encrypted. A hacker will see encrypted data and not raw data that they can easily access. In short, a VPN works like a bridge, safely transporting data to its destination – either your device or the Internet.
When to Use it
There are times when using a VPN is not necessary, such as when visiting an entertainment platform like Facebook or YouTube. Hackers would have very little use for the information they would acquire from these sites. Just as there are times when you wouldn’t need to use one, there are those when using a VPN would be a good idea. You would do well using a VPN when banking online, checking business email, or if you’re using public WiFi, as anyone can access your info on public WiFi because it’s not a secure connection.
Free vs. Paid
It’s a financial undertaking for a company to provide this service; there are servers, employees, data transfers, and encryption technology. If you get a VPN for free, you should consider just how secure it is, or what you’re compromising for security. Does it show ads? Do they log your activity? If you want a truly secure connection without compromise, you’d be better off paying for it. You’ll be happy to learn that the average VPN costs $5.59 per month. Furthermore, there are discounts, the highest of which are between 50% and 66%, if you purchase a yearly subscription. So it’s up to you whether you use a free VPN or purchase a subscription, it just depends how secure you want your connection to be.
If you’re looking for a secure connection to the Internet for either work or just to maintain your privacy, look into getting a VPN. They’re relatively cheap, easy-to-use, and do just what they say: protect your data via encryption. To learn more about how you can benefit from a VPN, contact M&H Consulting by phone at 1-(866)-964-8324, or visit our website at http://www.mhconsults.com.
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