There’s no doubt the Internet can help your business succeed. It can help you find new customers, connect with existing clients and lower the costs of running your company. However, it’s also a dangerous place for businesses.

According to a study by Internet Provider Verizon, 50% of all online attacks target small businesses. The report isn’t meant to scare you. In fact, you can run your business without security tools without anything happening to your business. So, why use a VPN for your business?

Improved Online Security

If you own a small business, there’s a chance you don’t have a large budget for Internet Security. Maybe you don’t even have a dedicated Internet Security team. You hire independent companies to come to your rescue when it’s necessary.

A Virtual Private Network can help lower your IT budget while improving your company’s online security. The only cost you incur is the cost of securing all devices in your office with VPN accounts. There are two ways of doing it.

You can setup a VPN server in your office and connect everyone’s device easily. This option is secure but pretty expensive. The alternative is to buy VPN subscriptions from independent providers. This is the preferred option for small businesses because it’s effective and much cheaper.

To be clear, Virtual Private Networks provide security by encrypting data. They also mask a computer’s IP address, keeping it safe from spies and hackers. Top-tier VPNs like NordVPN use hack-proof data encryption techniques. You can subscribe to a trial VPN before you opt for a paid subscription.

Enhance Local SEO

If you have customers in different geographic locations, a VPN help you understand their needs more appropriately. Let’s say your company is located in Sydney but a significant portion of your clients are based in the UK.

A VPN can help you research the needs of your British clients more effectively. Here’s how. By activating a VPN and changing your location to London, Google will provide information that’s more relevant to people in the UK. In doing so, Google can help you create strategies that will be more effective in the UK.

Another way a VPN can help improve your business is by allowing you to spy on your competitors without revealing your identity. Checking what your competitors do isn’t illegal. But you probably wouldn’t want to get caught. A VPN can hide your identity and help you get information you could use to improve local SEO.

Make Remote Working Safe

In case you missed it, remote working increased tremendously last year. The Coronavirus pandemic affecting near everyone business. Some companies took a break from normal business activities. But many forward-thinking employers created environment for their employees to work from home.

Of course, working from home attracts many dangers, which is why a VPN is recommended. Think of remote file sharing, your sales people who depend on public WiFi or less Internet-savvy employees who might be vulnerable to phishing scams.

You can help foster a safe remote working environment by requiring all your employees to use a VPN while working. This will not only protect your business’ data but it will protect your employees in the process.

Lowering Costs

Securing a business isn’t cheap, especially you do it the traditional way of hiring a team of IT experts. Even if it’s a small team of three people, an IT department means thousands of dollars in salaries and remunerations. Add the costs of buying and maintain security tools or recovering from an attack and a VPN might be the best solution for you.

Virtual Private Networks can’t solve all security problems. But they can help protect your data and privacy. What’s more, they can improve marketing and help you learn more about your customers. Still, to be clear, you should partner VPNS with additional security tools like antimalware programs.

Additionally, you should invest in your employee’s education on matters to do with Internet Security. In many cyberattacks cases, attacks happen due to vulnerabilities caused by employees.

Bypassing Geographical Restrictions

As a business owner, you might not deal with clients directly. However, your marketers and support staff agents do. Marketers are often involved with research work but they don’t always get the information they need due to geo-restrictions.

Let’s say you’re in the entertainment industry. Your marketers sometimes need to watch Netflix films, stream anime on Hulu or watch sports on Sky Sports. If they live in the UK, there’s a chance they can’t access content on US-based network. If they live in the US, Sky Sports might be out of reach.

Virtual Private Networks can bypass all manner of geo-restrictions, from streaming networks to social media accounts. Vitally, they also protect your data, which can be helpful while carrying out research on social giants known to collect user data.

Avoid Bandwidth Throttling

Bandwidth throttling is the act of slowing down one’s Internet connections. Internet providers doing it regularly for various selfish reasons. The main explanation is that ISP provider hate people who hog data even though you pay for it.

The worst part is that ISP providers almost always never warn you about data throttling. If your company uses a great deal of bandwidth, the ISP provider could slow it down. While this helps protect the ISP’s interest, it can be damaging to your business.

A VPN can cushion you against data throttling by hiding the IP addresses used in your business. And if your ISP provider can’t be certain who’s hogging on bandwidth, it is unlikely they will throttle it.

Secure Downloads

One way of cutting down online business costs involve using freeware and apps whenever possible. Torrent sites are excellent places to find free work tools. But they are also hotspots for finding malware, adware, ransomware and all worms.

If some of your employees use torrent sites to find helpful freeware, ensure they download these programs safely. This means securing their connections through a VPN. Not only can it protect their identities, but it can also help keep their data safe.

Information provided by Mediastrasse