So many small business owners today are rightfully concerned about data security these days, as cyber attacks on organizations continue to rise. You may have done some preliminary research into virtual private networks, including free VPN services and premium VPN services. Network security services and support are essential to modern businesses of all sizes and VPNs can be an important tool that can be used to keep sensitive information safe online. In the first quarter of 2023 alone, more than six million data records were breached worldwide – it is clear that cyber crime has increased significantly in recent years.
What Does a VPN Do?
Virtual private networks, which are known globally as VPNs, are designed to encrypt the traffic between your device and the server that hosts the VPN software to make your data unreadable to unauthorized individuals or hackers. There are a wide range of options when it comes to this type of protection, available in both free and premium VPN services. Most of these services will require a monthly subscription cost, but there are some that are free or available through other services, such as firewall or antivirus programs. However, when it comes to securing the data and devices within your network for business, you will want something that goes above and beyond these consumer-grade services.
At Synivate, we offer our clients a wide range of innovative technology solutions designed to help them secure their networks, protect essential data, prevent data loss, ensure business continuity, and effectively manage their systems. While it is important for individuals to protect their own personal and financial data, it is extremely essential for corporations, small businesses, and other organizations to have reliable network security services and support. One recent report revealed that the average cost of a data breach worldwide in 2018 was around $4.45 million – imagine the losses that are likely being experienced today. The more you can learn about the benefits of virtual private networks and how they can be used to protect your sensitive data, the easier it will be to implement safeguarding tactics for your business.
How Does a VPN Work?
The best way to describe how virtual private networks work to safeguard your essential data is to envision it as an encrypted tunnel that is used to funnel and protect all of your data as it travels through your system. Specific methods are used to prevent unauthorized individuals from viewing, downloading, or gaining access to your data in any way or even to track your online movements via the VPN. Some of the information safeguarded by the VPN include DNS searches, downloaded files, and internet protocol (IP) addresses, which can be used by hackers to gain access to even more sensitive areas of your database and network structure.
Logging in via a VPN will allow you to access websites and information that is restricted to specific countries or regions, simply by selecting a different IP address or a virtual location via the VPN program. This includes geo-blocked media and streaming services, as well as news articles and other streaming data. Compared to other methods, virtual private networks are one of the most economical choices available to help shield your company’s data from cyber criminals. This is especially true for businesses that do a majority of their activities online or have employees spread across a region or country to work remotely.
Some of the top reasons for using VPN services include:
- Safeguard sensitive data and infrastructure in a very cost-effective way.
- Obfuscate sensitive data, such as company strategies, internal conversations, and inventory lists.
- Provide an extra degree of protection for sensitive customer information, including names, contact details, and financial data.
- Adds an increased layer of safety for remote workers to ensure that no sensitive information is leaked when workers access internal corporate resources from outside locations.
- Supports hybrid work situations to allow more options for employees and for business owners to expand their abilities.
Free VPN Services vs Premium VPN Services
While startup and small business owners are always looking for a way to save money or bundle services to reduce costs, it is crucial to understand that you can’t go cheap on some services. If you do not have an in-house IT department to provide you with all of the network security services and support that you need or even access to a knowledgeable technician who can assist with consultation for security programs, Synivate can help. Our team of highly trained and experienced technology engineers can help you to choose the best security programs, services, and even provide ongoing support, to ensure that your sensitive data is protected.
The benefits of free VPN services are simple and obvious: no monthly costs or investments. However, the advantages stop there. Free VPN services offer reduced performance, security, and speed. They provide limited features and have few servers available to provide comprehensive protections. When it comes to businesses of any size or type, free VPN services are not recommended. While premium VPN services can vary widely and should be considered carefully before choosing the best one for your needs, they are far and away better than zero cost VPN services.
The top advantages of premium VPN services include:
- Increased security and encryption
- Improved performance
- Higher speeds
- More secure connections
- Bigger data transfer allowances or unlimited transfer options
- Expanded protection options and additional services
What to Expect: Premium VPN Services
When choosing a premium option for virtual private networks, make sure to work with one of our Synivate consultants or take time to do your own research. Premium VPN services should provide you with the highest level of security and encryption available. In addition, you should have access to a full array of server tools designed to ensure faster, more dependable, and easily customized services. VPN subscriptions often include extra features, such as anti-malware protection, ad-blocking services, and dedicated server access for streaming or torrenting.
Independent assessment of security claims is often more thorough for paid services. Even while most VPNs have no-logging rules for customer information, not all VPN providers support their promises with independent audits. While it is valid to be concerned that free services might sell your data, paid VPN services have less incentive to do so, because they generate revenue from your membership. In addition to these advantages, commercial VPNs also provide superior customer care, easier-to-use user interfaces (UIs), and support for more platforms than their free counterparts.
Network Security Services and Support
Virtual private networks are just one method used commonly in today’s cyber crime ridden world to prevent hackers from gaining access to important data. However, there are many other options available to small and medium-sized business owners when you work with our team of professional technicians and engineers at Synivate. We offer services and support programs designed to meet or exceed the needs and expectations of clients who work across just about every industry that exists. Small mom-and-pop organizations, retail shops, business centers, corporations, non-profits, web-based services, and just about anything under the sun.
Some of the services that we offer at Synivate include:
- 24/7 monitoring and management
- Professional consultations for businesses of all sizes
- Business continuity services and support
- Cloud application transitions and cloud mastery
- Customized IT security
- Unified communications solutions
- Server migrations, as well as software and firmware updates
Whether you have a clear vision of what is required or if you need assistance from one of our experienced consultants, Synivate is your trusted partner in creating, implementing, and supporting innovative technology solutions for your organization. Reach out to our team for a FREE evaluation or to schedule a comprehensive consultation to help us ensure you achieve all of your business aspirations.
VPN: What You Need to Know
When choosing the best service options for your free or premium VPN services, there are certain criteria and minimum support that must be provided. For example, to accommodate the VPN’s primary function of security for your company’s network and essential data, the service you choose should support at least the OpenVPN protcols. When it comes to security and dependability, OpenVPN is the most regarded and used protocol in use today. Beyond OpenVPN, other excellent options include WireGuard and IKEv2, which further increase security through the use of rapid data transfer rates. Businesses also lean toward the use of AES-256, which is known as a military-grade VPN and is used for protecting extremely sensitive data.
Finally, the NordVPN is also highly recommended, as it is considered by experts across the industry to currently be the most secure of all the virtual private networks. NordVPN supports all of the best premium VPN services options, including the aforementioned OpenVPN, IKEv2, and AES-256 encryption. Specialized servers can be used to shield user data and boost security, as well as other added security options that can be included or implemented by our team at Synivate to offer extra layers of protection when needed. It is important to choose a VPN that offers a user-friendly interface to ensure proper protection and encouragement to actually use the program to secure data on a daily basis.
Contact Synivate for Network Security
If you would like to learn more about the options available at Synviate for virtual private networks and other types of network security services and support, give us a call at 617-517-0704. We can answer any questions you might have about free VPN services, premium VPN services, and other powerful options for delivering dependable, reliable network security. Call today and speak with one of our friendly and helpful technicians or to schedule an in-person consultation to better understand all of your security and innovative technology requirements.