What is a VPN and Why Do You Need One?

Over recent years, online security has become an ever-growing concern worldwide, and the trend continues. The number of challenges and potential risks increase at lightning speed regardless of the nature of your internet activities. It doesn’t matter whether you work at a corporate office or surf the WorldWideWeb from the comfort of your home, there are plenty of chances your personal data will be stolen or monetized. In addition to that, omnipresent geotagging makes things really tough, often being an insurmountable obstacle for reaching certain sites or taking advantage of particular content.

In view of all of the above, more and more people start using a VPN, a state-of-the-art technology that successfully solves a plethora of problems and facilitates safe and secure internet connections. If you still don’t use this service, read on to find out what is a virtual private network and why do you really need one.

What Is A VPN?

As already mentioned, a VPN is short for a virtual private network, which provides for creating a secure connection to another network over the Internet. Even though the primary task was pretty straightforward – to safely connect business networks, nowadays the use of a VPN goes far beyond the original idea. In fact, this technology is gaining momentum and getting incredibly popular among the widest audience due to other reasons with accessing various region-restricted sites and elegant detouring of other constraints and limitations to name just a couple of them.

How does a VPN work? To put it simply, it connects your desktop or mobile device to one of the servers scattered across the vastness of the internet, letting you browse the web utilizing that new connection. The big idea is when the server you use is located in another country (and the majority of VPNs give users the opportunity to choose between more specific locations in different countries), it appears that you are coming not from the country you’re physically in at the moment but from the one the server you use belong to.

Apart from giving you a possibility to access otherwise restricted for your region websites and watch your favorite but, again, not available in your country sports or streaming media, a VPN also protects you from spying (or surveillance, if you like this term better) on Wi-Fi hotspots. In addition to that, you get a certain degree of anonymity because your true location is hidden.

Is a VPN Worth It?

Even though there are free VPNs, the truth is if you are serious about your online security and want a service able to cater to your needs and correspond to your activities, you will need a quality VPN and those are not available on the house, except for a short trial. However, the great news is even the best VPNs in their class are very affordable, especially if opt for an annual subscription.

More than that, with just a bit of research on the internet, you will find some awesome deals to make the most of your money, so you can enjoy the high-quality service for just several bucks a month. Indeed, a quick check on Swagbucks, the web’s most popular rewards program, shows that with their coupons you can easily save up to 70% on different plans and get several months of free VPN. Thus being, there is no doubt, a VPN worth it simply because you can enjoy the highest level of protection and take advantage of numerous opportunities for as little as $3.5 a month.

Why You Need A VPN

Now, let’s brush on the reasons you actually need a VPN. The latter has a truly extensive list of applications and can become a real game-changer in your online experience. It eliminates any borders, literally, and can even save you a lot of money since prices for the same things (air tickets, for instance) can vary greatly from one country to another. Here you have it: all things you can do with a VPN.

To Get Access To Your Business Or Home Network While Abroad

Traveling is an inseparable part of the modern lifestyle, as well as using our own mobile devices and laptops, or computers in the business lounges and at the hotels while on the go. Have you ever wondered whether your data or local network resources are exposed in such situations? With a VPN you have nothing to worry about, safely access your company or home network, use file shares, and do everything you’d usually do while at your office or home.

To Forget About Geo-Restrictions

Regardless of whether you are plotting to watch a sports channel that is not available in your country or your favorite series on Netflix while abroad, a VPN will cater to your every single whim when it comes to outsmarting the geolocator. Just choose your dream country from the long list of options and have fun wherever and whenever you want. By the way, it’s also a great way to research your competition and improve your digital marketing strategy, again, without unveiling your real identity since webmasters can’t know who you are.

To Be Protected While Torrenting

Nowadays it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t use torrents to download all sorts of files. Well, even a VPN is not exactly a magic wand when it comes to torrents, using this service can often provide you much faster speeds, so downloading a movie or a bigger file doesn’t take ages.

To Say What You Really Think

The great bulk of important discussions have moved online but it’s common knowledge that expressing your opinion openly can cost you dearly. It’s not rare to see an innocuous comment triggering an avalanche of unpleasant feedback that often grows into threats. When you use a VPN, your IP address is hidden and your online identity is protected, hence you can say what you think without fear of being harassed and become a victim of digital violence.

To sum up, a VPN delivers an array of benefits that ranges from significantly enhanced online security to such perks as access to geo-restricted sites and cheaper flights. There’s no dilemma whether or not you need one, the question is only which VPN can be your perfect match.