Six Things to Consider Before Choosing a VPN for Your Online Business

Being connected to the internet is a must for any business online.

This’s because it’s the only medium through which you can execute tasks, prospect for clients, communicate with employees, and get familiar with the latest happenings and trends in your industry.

But today, hacking, scamming, phishing, and other prominent security issues have taken center stage on the internet.

It’s generally known that internet connection is a must-have if one must succeed as a business online.

However, most online business owners still find it difficult to figure out the security issues associated with it, and how to combat them.

In this post, I’ll take you through a proven technology for secure communication on the internet, its benefits, and the things you must consider before settling for it.

VPN: What It’s All About

According to this report, a VPN, otherwise known as the Virtual Provider Network, is a service that allows you to connect to the internet via a server run by a provider.

With it, all data roaming between your computer, phone, or tablet and this “VPN server” is securely encrypted.

By being securely encrypted, it means that your information and activities on the internet are encoded, and can’t be accessed by third parties.

Succinctly put, a VPN server is a technology by the VPN provider that helps secure your communication online.

Why You Need to Secure Your Online Business With VPN

As an online business owner, a VPN means a lot to you.

Small business users, according to Kurt Roemer (Critix Chief Security Strategist), need VPNs to keep their network traffic private and safe from tampering.

Apart from this, there are a lot of other benefits that the VPN can offer any business online. Some of them are:

• Provide privacy: Privacy is a big issue on the internet. With the VPN, you can hide your internet activities from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
• Evade censorship: Many countries today censor their citizens from using the internet or visit some websites. With the VPN, you can escape that.
• Access geo-blocked websites: Some countries are restricted from accessing some region-based websites. You’re entirely safe from that using the VPN technology.
• Become protected against hackers: Hackers are nightmares for most online businesses. The VPN can effectively protect you from them.

Before Choosing Your VPN: Things to Consider

VPNs are developed, owned, and managed by service providers.

There are a plethora of providers out there, so deciding on the one to choose could be a herculean task, especially if you’re just starting.

However, here are some things you should consider before choosing one for your online business.

#1. Connection/Encryption Protocol:

This is the first thing you must look out for in a VPN. Any mistake made here is usually costly.

In VPN encryption, there are a lot of protocols used which include: IKEV2, SSTP, PPTP, L2TP/IPSEC, Open VPN, and so on.

Of these protocols, Open VPN is the best, while L2TP/IPSEC comes close. So, if a provider uses any of these two, you can consider them.

#2. Servers:

One advantage of VPN is that it allows you to have seamless internet connection all over the world.

This makes it easy for you to achieve your online business goals irrespective of your location.

Hence, before choosing a VPN provider you need to be sure that it has its servers spread across many countries.

If it doesn’t, you might need to rethink it.

#3. Internet Speed:

Internet speed should be a major determinant before you choose the VPN you’ll finally settle for.

However, one major disadvantage of the VPN is that it deteriorates internet speed. This definitely will have adverse effects on any serious business online.

To avert this, you need to discuss with your provider to know if they’ve found a solution to it on their own.

If this doesn’t work out fine, you can connect to servers away from your location to get a clearer picture.

#4. Pricing:

There are free versions of VPNs out there that offer you a lot of functionalities.

While you can start with the free version to see how it works, your long-term plan should be to upgrade to a paid version.

This is because free versions of VPNs have limited capacities that might not serve your business well.

If you decide to upgrade to a paid VPN provider, you need to check out the one that provides you with maximum features at a minimum price.

A rule of thumb, however, is to be wary of prices that are too good to be true.

#5. Cyber Security Experts’ Review:

VPNs are evolving daily, and most people out there don’t really know how they work.

But the truth is, no matter how technical VPNs are, cyber security experts understand how they work best.

To be sure of the provider you want to settle for, you need to check out independent reviews by renowned experts on it.

Reviews by experts in most cases are usually detailed, revealing, and straight to the point.

#6. Support:

Just like the other internet services out there, there’s no way you can use the VPN without running into some difficulties.

When this happens, what should you do?

Solve it on your own (which is prone to mistakes), or contact the VPN provider (which is your sure bet.)

Therefore, you need to be sure that your provider will be available when you need them most.

In order to know this, you should check out the support services offered by them. Some of the things you should look out for here include email ticketing, FAQ section, live chat options, tutorials, blog, and so on.

Wrapping it up:

Choosing a VPN for your online business could be tasking.

Since it can skyrocket your online business success, you need to take this process seriously.

However, when you consider these six factors before choosing a VPN, there’s no way you can make a mistake with your choice.

In the end, your online business will become more fully secured on the internet than you ever thought.