VPN: Pros and Cons You Should Consider Before Using It
This post is sponsored by John Mason from TheBestVPN.com, an unbiased VPN review site.
Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are basically private networks created to connect two (or more) remote locations with each other, such that they are in the same logical network. In layman terms, it creates a private network which is accessible over a public network (the Internet). VPNs are used past enterprises to create secure private networks, let remote employees admission to company information hosted on private servers, and a lot more. Individuals, on the other hand, usually use VPNs to remain bearding while browsing, and secure their data on networks with little (or no) security. So, if you've ever wondered about whether you should apply a VPN or not, hither are the pros and cons of using a VPN :
Pros of Using a VPN
To exist completely honest, there are a lot more pros, than there are cons, when information technology comes to using a Virtual Private Network. Nonetheless, the cons are such, that they matter quite a flake when it comes to using VPNs for highly sensitive work, which is why you should read through, and understand the risks involved before y'all lead yourself to believe that a VPN means guaranteed anonymity.
one. Enhanced Security
The fundamental way in which VPNs work (or are supposed to work), is that they encrypt your entire network traffic, so it gets transmitted through the network securely. This ways added security for your network traffic. Therefore, you lot should definitely utilise a good VPN service whenever you lot're connecting via an unsecured network, such every bit public WiFi hotspots. If your traffic is not encrypted, anyone eavesdropping on the network will exist able to see your traffic, making information technology possible to steal confidential data from your devices.
This is besides why enterprises use high security VPN networks to allow their remote employees access to company data. With a Virtual Private Network, people in 2 remote locations, can connect to each other, and communicate over the network, every bit if they were sitting in the same building, communicating over a Local Surface area Network.
two. Bypass Geo-restrictions on Websites and Content
This is perhaps the nigh common reason that people utilise Virtual Individual Networks for. Since VPNs basically route all your network traffic through a "tunnel", and makes information technology announced as if y'all're accessing the Internet from another location, y'all tin can easily utilise a VPN to go effectually most geo-restrictions placed on websites and content. To teach by case, Netflix was a very popular service that people used VPNs to gain admission to, earlier Netflix started blocking VPNs and Proxies. Even so, for the well-nigh part, you can utilise Virtual Private Networks to get around geo-restrictions placed on websites, and content.
3. Anonymous Downloads
While Torrents have become synonymous with piracy, they are actually used for a number of completely legitimate uses. For example, Approved offers official Ubuntu downloads as torrent files. Still, accessing a torrent website, or running a customer tin can land yous on your Internet access provider'south watchlist, which is where VPNs tin come in extremely handy. Y'all can utilise a VPN to mask your IP address, and appear equally if y'all're accessing the torrent website from another location; and fifty-fifty your ISP won't be able to snoop into your traffic, ensuring that you remain safety. Nonetheless, you should never use VPNs for illegal downloads. All VPN providers are not created equal, and some might log your real IP address, which they may have to mitt-over to authorities authorities, if requested.
four. Easy File Sharing Between Remote Clients
By definition, Virtual Private Networks act such that any users connected to the VPN will be able to access the entire network as if they were on a local network. This provides enterprises with a huge advantage, as remote clients can connect to the private network, and access relevant data, and even share files with each other as if they were sitting in the same edifice. This makes it incredibly easy for large multinational companies manage multiple remote locations, and provide easy access to important information to remote employees.
Cons of Using a VPN
one. Speed Bug
A Virtual Private Network'south strongest point, is too usually it's weakest: a VPN encrypts all of your network traffic, to ensure anonymity, and security. However, stronger encryption naturally takes more fourth dimension, and resource. This is why most VPNs are disappointingly slow, considering encryption of network traffic introduces quite a chip of overhead. This is non always the case, and y'all tin find many VPN providers that don't compromise on security, while still maintaining a good connexion speed. Withal, most of these will be paid.
ii. Increased Network Complexity
Better quality Virtual Individual Networks usually utilize a large number of network topologies, protocols, and hardware devices to create the network. While this does ensure that you go a much more than robust network, it also increases the network complexity. In turn, the people using the VPN should be well enlightened of the various security threats that the network tin face, and they should have a skillful cognition of the way Virtual Private Networks work.
3. Security Problems
If we talk about Virtual Private Networks being used by enterprises, the main use case is to permit remote employees, and users to be able to connect to the visitor's network, as if they were physically present at that place. This allows for ease of use, just too brings with it many security concerns. Since the devices being used to access the VPN aren't all present at the visitor's buildings, the network admins take trivial to no control over the devices that remote users are using to connect. They have to trust the users to use secure methods to admission the network. This ways that the security of the visitor's network depends on a number of remote users, and can't exist completely controlled past the network admins themselves, which is quite a large issue when it comes to enterprise security.
How to Choose a Skilful VPN Service
No matter what y'all demand to use a VPN service for, y'all should always make sure that y'all cull the all-time one that fits your needs. This may involve a off-white bit of researching on your part, and if you lot don't want to put in all that fourth dimension, you can check out some neat VPN providers for your Android, or iOS devices. If you desire to look for a VPN that fits your needs perfectly, hither are some of the things you lot should wait out for, earlier choosing 1:
1. Security Protocols
Virtual Private Networks utilise ane of many security protocols. These may be SSL/TLS, PPTP, IPSec, and others. These are the protocols that the VPN service will use to encrypt, and protect your network traffic. For casual users, this doesn't thing much, unless you're doing something where the need for security is paramount. Still, for enterprises, a VPN service should preferably be using IPSec, or SSL for the best security possible.
2. Server Locations
Another thing you should consider before opting for a particular VPN service provider, is the places they have servers in. This is important for a variety of reasons:
- If a VPN provider has a larger number of servers, the chances of servers being nearby are higher, which will directly effect in faster speeds.
- More servers also means that you can circumvent geo-restrictions for a larger number of locations.
iii. Logging Policies
One of the about important things to check if you're going to use the VPN service to maintain anonymity online, is whether they log any data nearly you lot. Most free VPNs volition definitely log your IP address, or at to the lowest degree timestamps. Still, that is a big privacy threat, considering if they take a record of your real IP address, someone else might get a hold of it, too. Notwithstanding, if you lot go with a trustworthy VPN (which volition about probably exist paid), you lot'll probably discover that they explicitly, and clearly mention that they will not log your IP address, or whatsoever identifying details nigh yous, anywhere on their servers.
See As well: VPN vs Proxy vs Smart DNS: What's The Difference?
Consider These Things Before Using a VPN
While using a VPN may make yous feel similar you lot're completely anonymous, there are actually a lot of things to consider earlier you lot can be certain about it. If y'all're using a free VPN service, you lot should exist especially careful; after all, a gratis service besides needs funds to run, which means they may be selling your information to advertisement-providers, which basically means that you lot're not anonymous at all. Free services might fifty-fifty be logging your real IP address, which is definitely not something expert. Then, earlier y'all commit with a VPN provider, you should definitely check the things I've mentioned in this article. If possible, look for a skilful, paid VPN service, as they will usually not log any details about yous, or display ads, etc.
As always, we would similar to know your thoughts about VPN services, and whether you think people should even use a free VPN service, at all. Share your thoughts with us, in the comments section below.
Source: https://beebom.com/vpn-pros-cons/
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