Having a VPN Benefits Small Businesses

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) keeps your business data private while you work online. It’s a technology that works as effectively for individuals and small businesses as it does for large companies, and it’s worth considering for your small business. Here are just a few of the most important benefits of having a VPN.

What is a VPN?

When you are using the internet or a network, certain information such as the IP address of your device is visible. This links you to your browsing history, what applications you’re using, and the data you are sending and receiving, which is very valuable to cybercriminals who can use it to hack into your network. A VPN encrypts all this data, essentially making it invisible and undetectable to anyone – they cannot see your IP address, the data you are sending, where you are sending it to or even where you are accessing it.

#1 – Improved Data Security

Small businesses don’t often have the resources for a comprehensive data security solution, and as a result, they’re being increasingly targeted by cybercriminals and ransomware. It may seem that big companies in the financial sector are prime targets, but the reality is those small businesses are the target for 43% of cybercrimes, costing the economy over $1 billion each year, with an average ransomware attack costing small businesses $4,677 and medium-sized businesses an average of $1.9 million for their data to be released.

If your business uses the internet, cloud applications and remote working technology, then you are at risk. A VPN makes it impossible for a hacker to detect and track the data sent or accessed by any of your employees because your IP address is undetectable.

#2 – Easy Remote Access

A VPN is hassle-free and does not create any additional barriers to working or accessing files. It’s essentially a digital server, so anyone with the right password can get into it. This means that even if your team is working remotely from home, it’s easy to access the files, data and applications they need to do their jobs, even while it makes that same data inaccessible to cybercriminals. Good quality VPNs have settings to control who has access to what data, so you can restrict certain files to relevant employees only, and they track who accesses that data too, so you can analyse your internal security easily.

#3 – Improved Network Performance

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) continually watch and analyse internet traffic from their customers in order to throttle certain activities and speed up others. This can make your network slower, especially during peak use times. A VPN makes your activity anonymous, so your ISP cannot see what traffic you are generating, so they cannot throttle performance. This can help improve the speed and stability of your online connections.

#4 – Affordable IT Security

One of the main reasons why small businesses are so hesitant to commit to IT security is that they simply don’t have the budget of larger companies. A VPN is an exceptionally affordable way to add a layer of security to your business simply and quickly. It requires no additional infrastructure and these services are priced to offer exceptional value, delivering military-grade encryption and security solutions for a minimal monthly subscription. There are some truly innovative and effective ways to better secure your business without putting your budget on the line, and VPNs are one of them.

Chat to Your Managed IT Services Partner About Affordable VPN Solutions

At Otto, our focus is on providing cost-effective, state-of-the-art IT services and solutions specifically for small businesses, from IT support and cloud solutions to network security and disaster recovery. Contact us and find out how we can help prevent your business from becoming a victim of cybercrime.