Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A Virtual Private Network or VPN creates a protected network connection from a public Internet connection. These connections do this by masking a user’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. This gives the user online privacy, anonymity, and makes their online actions virtually untraceable. Also, VPNs improve Internet security because they establish secure and encrypted connections.

What are VPN's Used For?

When a user uses the Internet or uses an unsecured Wi-Fi network it means that the user could be exposing their private information and browsing habits. So, users who are concerned about their online security and privacy commonly use VPNs.​

This is simply because a VPN connection disguises the user’s traffic online and protects their data from external access by encrypting it. This means hackers and other cyber attackers can't decipher the encrypted data.

In addition to encrypting a user’s data and disguising their whereabouts on the Internet, users often also use VPNs to access regional content which is not always accessible from where they are located. Besides, it ensures secure data transfer. This is especially important where a user works remotely and must access important files on their company's network.

VPNs can achieve all of the above by doing the following:

• It encrypts the user’s IP address. This means the user’s IP address is not visible to their ISP or other third parties and allows the user to send and receive information online without the risk of anyone else seeing the information.
• It also encrypts certain protocols. This means third parties cannot gain access to confidential information like personal data, financial information, and other confidential information from a user's Internet history, search history or cookies.

It does this by directing a user’s network traffic through a specially configured remote server run by a VPN host. This acts as a secure tunnel between the user and the Internet which allows no one to access to the data that flows in this tunnel.

Why are VPN's Important?

It’s simple, a VPN connection establishes a secure connection between the user and the Internet. By using a VPN all the data traffic of a user is routed through an encrypted secure tunnel.

This disguises the user’s IP address when they use the Internet and makes the location invisible to everyone. Also, a VPN connection is secure against external attacks because only the user can access the data in the encrypted tunnel.

VPNs are therefore important to ensure Internet security and keeping users anonymous, while protecting their personal information.