You might have heard the term VPN thrown around a bit in the past several years in the professional sphere. Perhaps you just brushed it off as yet another crazy acronym in the giant jumble of letters that make up the world of small business jargon these days. But that could be a huge mistake for you and your company. A VPN could be an extremely valuable tool for you and your team.
Read on to learn more about this great asset and what to consider when trying to determine what is the best VPN for you and your small business.
What is a VPN?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. When you are on the internet, you’re part of a huge network of users. Everybody’s information is flying all over the place, therefore making it open to attack and capture by digital villains intent on doing harm. A VPN gives you a safe space in which to operate, setting up a private network for your company’s sensitive data.
Without getting too technical, a VPN basically hides who you are and from where you’re operating. A VPN keeps you safe by bouncing your internet traffic through another server, therefore keeping your computer’s identity secret. This has the effect of encrypting your data and making you an anonymous internet user.
Why do I need a VPN for my small business?
A VPN allows you and your team to connect to each other and the data centres on which your company heavily relies, without worrying quite as much about the overall safety of operating on the internet. This is especially important if your company is one of the growing number of organisations that relies on managed IT services and the cloud for everyday activity. If you and your team are often trying to access information externally, knowing that you can do so on machines connected to a dedicated VPN can alleviate the stress and worry that comes with digital security.
How to choose a VPN for your business
No two businesses are exactly the same, which means that not every VPN solution will be suitable for every organisation. Here are a few things to keep in mind when trying to decide what is the best VPN for your company’s situation.
Dive into the details
Before you sign up with a VPN provider and entrust them with your digital data, you want to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting for your money. Does your plan have any sort of cap on how much data you can send through it before it slows down greatly or shuts off? Are there additional charges that you could trigger without knowing? How big of an impact will the service have on the speed of the internet in your office? Having these sorts of questions prepared for when you discuss options with your provider will save you time and, potentially, a lot of wasted money.
Listen to others
Finding a company with a good track record is a great place to start when trying to determine the best VPN for your enterprise. Next time you’re at an industry event, try to ask businesses of a similar size if they use a VPN service and, if so, what they like or don’t like about it. This might narrow your search and also help you come up with questions to ask potential providers when making your choice.
Tailor it to your needs
Is your company reliant on your team members being able to access data from afar, away from the safety and connectivity of your local area network (LAN)? Or do you simply need to fortify the safety of the connection within the walls of your business? Do you have hundreds of workers who will be using the VPN, or do you only need to account for a handful of devices and connections flowing through the network? Do you need to be able to use the VPN on a variety of different devices and operating systems, or are you only concerned with being able to connect via your company’s machines? Discuss your company’s specifics with any prospective provider you are considering. They will be able to tell you what options are the best for you and your organisation.
Get started
Saxons can help you outfit your small business with a VPN and other security measures that can keep you and your company safer from digital pitfalls. Contact us today to learn more about our managed IT services and IT support options so we can work together with you to find a suitable solution for your needs.
