What is a VPN?

VPNs, or virtual private networks, are a way to browse the internet and send and receive data in a secure manner by allowing the user to access public networks while still benefiting from the security of a private network.

Because of this added layer of security, VPNs have a huge range of applications, from allowing secure remote work to preventing cybercrime and bypassing geo-blocking.

How Do VPNs Work?

When you connect an unsecured device to the internet, certain information about your device is publicly available, such as your IP address and the country from which you connected.

Even this small amount of information can be used to target you with attacks by cybercriminals or to restrict what content on the internet you can access.

VPNs overcome these issues by encrypting the traffic between your device and the network you are trying to access, be that a public network like the internet, or a private network.

This encrypted connection between your computer and the network in question is often referred to as a tunnel.

Anyone attempting to intercept the traffic between you and the network, or acquire information about you through your connection to the internet, would first have to decrypt that data, which is a time and effort-intensive process.

What Are VPNs Used For?

There is a huge range of uses for VPNs, including:

• Secure remote working — Remote working has become much more of a priority over the last year and VPNs are vital to allowing remote workers to access their organization’s network in a secure fashion.
• New advances in the VPN technology, specifically secure remote access, allows corporate networks to authenticate users and then establish secure encrypted tunnels between their device and the network.
• This allows workers to send and access secure data remotely, without the usual security risks.
• Increased internet security — Since all the traffic between your device and the network you are connecting to is encrypted, there are far fewer chances for cybercriminals to use that connection to steal your personal information or launch attacks against you.
• Avoiding geo-blocking — Certain governments and private companies employ a process called geo-blocking to restrict what content users can access, depending on where they appear to be accessing it from.
• This can restrict users from accessing a whole range of information and media, from political and religious content to streaming programs.
• Because VPN services can bounce traffic from server to server, you can appear to be accessing content from anywhere in the world, removing some of the restrictions on what you can view.

What Different Kinds of VPN Are There?

There are a number of different kinds of VPN for different situations. Two of the most common are remote access and site-to-site.

Remote Access VPNs

Remote-access VPNs are generally used to connect devices, such as tablets, phones, and laptops, to a secure network.

These mobile devices are commonly referred to as endpoints.

The VPN encrypts the connection between the user and the network and uses secure remote access protocols to establish if the user is authorized to access the network.

Most VPNs for both business and home use are remote-access VPNs.

For business users, a remote access VPN allows them to send and receive confidential information without a security risk and access information on their organization’s secure network while working remotely.

For a personal user, a remote access VPN is an added layer of security that allows them to anonymously browse the internet.

Site-to-Site VPNs

Site-to-site VPNs are often used to create a secure connection between an organization’s home office and remote offices in different geographical locations.

Essentially, a site-to-site VPN builds a secure virtual bridge between existing networks using router-to-router communication, creating what is commonly known as an intranet-based VPN.

Rather than having multiple remote users connecting to a single network, a site-to-site VPN essentially connects two networks together using IPsec security.

This allows offices in all parts of the world to remotely access and operate on the same network as their home offices, while also maintaining secure communications.