What are the key advantages of having a Virtual Private Network or VPN? Let us see.
Security
With a VPN, you are protected from hackers and other unscrupulous elements because the data between you and the VPN server is encrypted. Hackers tend to target PCs, laptops and mobile devices in part, because they are not able to get around the security measures deployed by servers. They are more vulnerable because they do not have as much security as servers.
Privacy
A lot of internet advertisers monitor your location and the sites you visit, so that they can ‘push’ related products/service or even location-based services. With a VPN, you are free from this kind of spam– they can only trace you as far as the VPN server, which is useless, as many people use the same server. Multiple locations and visits to websites of varying nature tell them nothing.
Don’t get geo-blocked
A lot of sites are geo-restricted. In many cases, these restrictions are in place for legal reasons, such as Hulu having the rights to stream TV shows/movies only in the United States. On the opposite end, this restriction prevents you from accessing these sites when you travel outside the United States. Australians who have tried to access ABC programs from outside the country would know this situation very well. With a VPN, the request to the ABC server is made from an IP address in Australia itself, while you may be elsewhere. This can help you view the programs, whichever part of the world you may be in
Performance
There are a lot of programs on your computer that use your internet, unbeknownst to you. Your antivirus, office tools, operating system, application software – they are all constantly downloading the latest updates whenever you are connected to the internet. This leaves you with very little bandwidth for your actual internet usage needs. A VPN server ensures that connections are made only to the sites that you expressly request through your browser, and although the actual bandwidth remains the same as before, you experience faster speeds.
Cost
The costs of a VPN are surprisingly lower than that of a leased line. If you are a network manager, you stand to save even more by way not having to invest in hardware equipment. The VPN service provider also takes care of network security for you, further adding to your savings.
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