What is a VPN?
A VPN , or Virtual Private Network, is a private network that encrypts and transmits data over the internet when moving from one location to another. Having a VPN to connect to the internet allows you to privately and safely browse websites as well as access blocked websites and bypass blocks of censorship.
A Virtual Private Network ( VPN) provides you with privacy and anonymity online by building a private network from a public internet connection. Learn meaning of vpn with this article. VPNs mask your Internet Protocol ( IP ) address so that you can effectively untrace your online behavior. Most significantly, VPN services create safe, authenticated connections to ensure greater privacy than even a stable Wi-Fi hotspot.
Why do you need a VPN service?
Surfing the web or transacting on an unsecured Wi-Fi network means that you may be revealing your privacy and surfing habits. For this reason a virtual private network, also known as a VPN, should be a must for those worried about their protection and privacy online.
Talk of all the times you’ve been on the go, reading emails when you’re in line at the coffee shop or checking your bank account when waiting at the doctor’s office. Unless you are logged into a private Wi-Fi network requiring a password, any data transmitted during your online session may be vulnerable to outsiders using the same network.
The VPN’s encryption and anonymity helps protect your online activities: sending emails, shopping online or paying bills. VPNs also help you anonymous on your web surfing.
Before last year it would be a luxury to operate remotely that a few employers can apply to their workers. Although there were vast numbers of multinational workers working at least once a week from home, the idea of full-time home employment was still uncommon.
Recent events have prompted lock downs in many parts of the country, and shelter-in-place orders. Since that, for most companies around the world, the full-time “work from home” paradigm has become the new standard. This new normal’s enforcement has blurred the traditional parameters that would help to distinguish work and home environments. This is an unknown situation to be in for a lot of businesses and something to which they were not prepared.
Wagging beyond the Wall
Organizations have spent millions of dollars building up a security layer around their company. Operations are handled and regulated inside this wall, like a clockwork. Mechanisms, procedures, and resources are in place to ensure that individuals, networks, systems , software, and confidential information are handled, secured, and monitored continuously. This exposes an organization to a whole new set of challenges with the employees working remotely full time.
Employees working from home continuously access sensitive information via “unsecured” networks and endpoints, including personal data, company confidential, and intellectual property. In addition , employees often take risky shortcuts, such as copying data to personal thumbnail drives or cloud accounts, misuse of personal emails and social media accounts for work-related tasks, saving personal browser passwords and downloading data to personal devices. Lastly, they often do all this work over a public or consumer-grade internet that doesn’t have the desired level of security controls.
It exposes the company to data breaches and hacks for which they have never prepared. This results in loss of revenue, regulatory enforcement fines and related litigation, and reputation damage. According to a report published by CipherCloud, a spike in HIPAA-related breaches already occurred in March 2020.
Safeguarding sensitive data
The problem at work-from-home will not go away any time soon. It is important that employers extend to employees working at home the same safety posture they had for the enterprise. A few best practices to bear in mind here:
Privacy awareness: Ensure that your staff are well educated and trained about security policies, phishing scams, security of passwords and data protection.
Physical safety: Employees should not use personal devices for personal work and work equipment. Ensure the work computers are updated regularly and have the new software updates installed.
Network security: Allow access to work-related software, websites, and information via a protected private virtual network. Prohibit linking work devices to public wi-fi.
Control of access: Implement Multi factor Authentication and strict authentication policies. Restrict access to data, and download confidential and vital information.
Data security and compliance: Back up all of your critical data from your employees to the cloud. Ensure constant monitoring of the data on all work devices for confidential and important details.