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How a VPN Can Benefit Small Businesses

There are millions of small businesses operating all over the world. 28 million out of these operate in the US alone!

SBA defines small business as an enterprise having fewer than 500 employees. Though they are small, small businesses constitute half of all sales made worldwide, representing revenues of more than $3.6 billion.

Cyber-security issues small businesses usually face

However, despite producing such marvelous figures each year, small businesses are actually weaker in financial terms. Most of them are run by sole proprietors, who even lack the necessary knowledge to cyber-secure their business.

Unlike large businesses, small businesses obviously lack the necessary incentives and financial power to protect themselves against hackers and cybercriminals. They lack the financial means to employ a proper team to help them resolve the cyber security situation of their business.

How to employ adequate cyber-security measures in this case?

Fortunately, small businesses do not necessarily need to employ a team of professionals. Though it is impossible for anyone to be 100% cyber safe, but there are ways to increase the cyber security of your company exponentially by using a Virtual Private Network - VPN For Small business.

The following are some scenarios which explain how small businesses are usually hacked, and how a VPN can help them in these circumstances:

1.    Small business’ data can be compromised when using a remote office. Several entrepreneurs and small businesses work remotely at a cafe using free Wi-Fi. Open Wi-Fi networks pose several threats for data security. Since a VPN encrypts data from end-to-end, entrepreneurs can remain secure even while on a public Wi-Fi.

2. Hiring remote workers and allowing them to remotely transmit data and access the central network is a must for the growth of any small business. However, transmitting data online without proper precaution can lead to data theft, or malicious software corrupting your computer, where key business information is stored. The secure remote access feature offered by a VPN successfully solves this issue for good.

3. Small businesses often entertain and encourage customers to visit their premise. In turn, small businesses often offer free internet access to their customers. If a customer somehow infects, sniffs or steals your customer data while using the unsecured Wi-Fi at your establishment, your small business’ reputation can suffer.

Benefits of using a VPN

A well-constructed and premium VPN service For small business can provide SME's with countless benefits. The hallmarks of a VPN service are security and anonymity. While anonymity is not really a necessity for business owners, security is.

Wi-Fi Security

Keeping a password on your Wi-Fi hotspot is no longer considered secure. Hackers can easily acquire access to that Wi-Fi hotspot and can intercept or monitor any online communications going through it. However, a premium VPN service provides entrepreneurs with the best Wi-Fi security.

A VPN helps in this scenario, since it allows users to encrypt their online communications, making it impossible for hackers to monitor or intercept them. A VPN service is also helpful in cases where sole-traders have to connect with a public Wi-Fi hotspot.

The formula works the same in this case, meaning that even if the hotspot is being monitored by anyone, the VPN service will ensure your security by providing your communications with adequate encryption.

Furthermore, a VPN helps in safeguarding the reputation of cafés and other such businesses that provide free Wi-Fi access to their customers. Imagine if the free Wi-Fi hotspot at such places gets hacked leading to the data theft of all customers who were using it. The poor reputation this would produce will be extremely damaging to any business.

Fortunately, a VPN helps in this case as well. Most VPN services, including PureVPN and Ivacy, allow users to connect their Wi-Fi hotspots with their encrypted servers. These servers disallow anyone to intercept or monitor online communications of any person connected to the Wi-Fi hotspot, even if he has managed to hack it.

Protection against DDoS attacks

Furthermore, in case the business has its own website, it may become a target of DDoS attacks and other such hacking techniques. Premium VPN services can again prove helpful in such a case, since their servers are equipped with all the tools necessary to counter DDoS and other such attacks that might prove lethal to the website.

Choosing the best VPN service!

Choosing a VPN service which best fits your need is essential. For maximum security and protection, the VPN service you chose should offer the following features:

•    Does not make it difficult for you to connect with the people you want to communicate with
•    Must not be difficult or complicated to use and manage by both sides
•    Must provide good encryption protocols.
•    Should provide high-speed connections and unlimited bandwidth
•    Must offer connection to several devices under one account.

Now that it's proved how helpful it is for small businesses to use a VPN service, we hope that entrepreneurs managing such businesses will take help from the points stated above, and will provide their business with the online security that it needs.

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