Working from Home? 5 Ways a VPN Can Protect You

In the office, your company’s network was protected by all kinds of mechanisms designed to prevent hackers from gaining access to sensitive data. But now that you’re at home, that safety net has vanished. To protect yourself while you’re working from home, you need to get a good VPN from a reputable web host.

What exactly is a VPN?

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) lets you establish a secure private network by using encryption over a public network, like the internet. It basically lets you create your own private version of the internet that hackers can’t get to.

Why do you need a VPN when working from home?

A VPN lets you access your company’s network from home. This way, you can continue working just as efficiently as you did at the office.

Not only that, but VPNs also hide your IP address, so you can move around the internet in secret, and they encrypt any data you send while the VPN is activated. This protects your company’s data, and it also protects you from being targeted by hackers. Here are 5 more reasons you need a VPN.

5 ways a VPN can protect you

1. A VPN keeps your browsing activity private

It’s an open secret that the websites you visit are constantly following you all over the internet, so they can get a better idea of your buying habits. Some websites even sell your browsing information to third parties. A VPN can prevent these websites from accessing your browsing data. This keeps you safe and truly anonymous on the Internet.

2. VPNs let you access material that’s usually barred from your region

Some sites have entertaining or useful content that can only be viewed in a specific region. If you’ve ever seen the dreaded message, “The video you have requested is not available in your country”, then you already know what we’re talking about. Usually, this is nothing more than a mild annoyance, but sometimes, the information you’re trying to view is crucial. A VPN lets you access region-blocked videos and websites. This way, you can keep working efficiently (or just not die of boredom) while you’re travelling on business.

3. A VPN helps you get around strict government censorship while you’re travelling

Some countries ban you from accessing certain social media sites that you’re allowed to visit in your home country. And it’s not just social media sites, either. Sometimes, they also forbid you from accessing information that you need to complete your work quickly and accurately. But if you use a VPN, you can set it up so that your web traffic appears to be coming from a country outside your actual location. This allows you to get around censorship laws and finish your work efficiently.

4. A VPN can protect you from data limits

Once you use up some of your data allotment for a given period, your service usually slows down, because your Internet Service Provider is trying to make the internet faster for some of their (usually better paying) customers. But when you use a VPN, your ISP won’t be able to see how much data you’re actually using, and you won’t suffer from unfair internet slowdown practices.

5. A VPN allows you to securely work from anywhere

If your company has an IT department, you’ve probably heard their lectures about why you should stay away from open Wi-Fi networks. And they’re right. Open Wi-Fi networks are a hacker’s playground. Just imagine, for a second, how many people use free Wi-Fi to send emails with their personal financial details, home address, and sensitive identifying information. Some hackers lurk on open Wi-Fi networks just waiting to get something they can use. But a VPN protects you while you work on public Wi-Fi, so you can get your work done without worrying about having anyone steal your information!

Other tools that help you stay safe on the internet

A VPN protects you while you roam the internet, but if you have a website, you need two extra layers of protection:

You need VPS hosting, and you need an SSL certificate. VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting involves having your web host give you your own private server so that you don’t have the security vulnerabilities of shared hosting, but you also don’t pay the higher price tag of dedicated hosting. It’s a great way to get more control over the safety of your hosting environment.

And SSL certificates encrypt data that passes between browsers and websites. This protects your visitors’ sensitive data like their credit card information, and it also protects your brand from the irreversible reputation loss that comes with a data leak or security breach.

Wrapping up

A VPN hides your IP address, your browsing history and your location, so you can move around freely and anonymously on the internet. VPNs are great for anyone, but they’re crucial if you’re working from home, especially if you like hanging out in places that offer free Wi-Fi, or if you sometimes have to travel outside the country for work, or if you keep exhausting your data limits trying to get work done. So, don’t keep exposing yourself to preventable threats on the internet.
It’s time to elevate your browsing. Check out our VPN plans and choose an affordable package that works for you!