A Virtual Private Network (VPN) refers to one or more computers or even discrete networks that are networked together via a public network; that is the internet. Businesses often use it to connect the remote data centers, and people may use VPNs to access network resources when not physically on a similar local area network, LAN or as a way of encrypting and securing your commu
nications when on an untrusted network.
Why Should You Use VPN?
A VPN is basically a simple method to bolster the security and be able to access resources on the network that you’re not physically connected to; known as anonymous surfing (more info). Whatever you decide to do with the VPN is another story all together. Generally, users of VPN fall into a couple of separate categories:
Students/workers
They have a duty to attend to, and usually use a VPN offered by their school or company to access certain resources on their network whenever they’re travelling or at home. In many cases, such people have free VPN services already offered to them; hence they’re not really shopping around. If they’re worried over security, they can just fire up the VPN while using café or airport Wi-Fi to be sure that nobody is spying on the connection.
Downloaders
Whether they’re illegally or legally downloading, the downloaders don’t wish to be on another company’s list of witch-hunt just because there is a torrenting application installed on the computer. VPNs offer the sole way to keep safe while using something such as BitTorrent—any other thing is just but an untrue sense of security. Better be safe than appear in the court or pay a big fine for something that you may not or may have done.
The privacy minded and security advocates
Whether in a very strictly monitored surrounding or a very open and free one, such people use VPN services to maintain the security and encryption of their communication and also shut prying eyes off whether abroad or at home. To these people, unsecured connections imply there is someone reading whatever you do and say.
The globetrotter
This person needs to watch an Olympics live as and when they happen, with no need to deal with the crummy local network. They need to look out for the best TV shows while they air rather than to wait for aftermath translations or even re-broadcasts or maybe watch the other versions which are aired in other nations, listen to region-limited internet radio, or maybe need to use some new web application or service which looks fantastic but for a reason or two is restricted to a specific region or country.
A combination of all the above
There are odds that even if you’re not among these people, you may be a mix of them based on whatever you’re doing. In every such case, a VPN may be of help, whether it’s a matter of self- protection when out and about, handling sensitive work data to avoid getting fired, or when merely covering yourself from after doing some mistakes in your workplace.
