VPN Introduction: What is it, why is it important & should you use it?

If you are a technology enthusiast, there is one thing that you must know by now. The term is VPN, or, to be precise, Virtual Private Network. Click this if it’s your first time hearing this specific term because you’ll need a short introduction to what it means. 

Oh, okay, I can admit that it is possible for people to not know about VPNs. What I cannot admit, though, is that they don’t need to hear about it. Because everyone should know about this service. What’s more, you might need to use a virtual private network, even though you are completely unaware. 

Well, that’s about to change. The fact that you find yourself here tells me that you are ready to understand what virtual private networks are and why you want your own VPN. Of course, before you decide, you need an idea about what it is in the first place. Sure, it might sound cool to say that you are using a VPN, but that doesn’t mean anything unless you know why you are using it. 

If this piques your interest, then we invite you to continue reading to get your VPN introduction.

Your Virtual Private Network • VPN Introduction

What Is A VPN? 

I suggest we start with the basics here. Don’t worry, this won’t be too difficult to understand and you’ll quickly manage to grasp the concept.

A virtual private network works by creating an encrypted channel between you and a remote server. When this tunnel is created, everything you do on the Internet channels through it. This means that your data and your activities are not viewable for anyone else. Additionally, since your traffic is going through the VPN server, it means that your computer is sending out the IP address of that particular server instead of your real IP address. That way, it does not reveal either your identity or your location.

Here’s a more detailed explanation: https://www.howtogeek.com/133680/htg-explains-what-is-a-vpn/ 

⎆ Sounds Amazing But It’s Simple

Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Hopefully, it also sounds pretty simple, because if it doesn’t, then I haven’t explained it. However, I am feeling really confident that my explanation was as simple as it gets and that you understand what a VPN is and how it works. Before you get to search for your VPN provider, I suggest you do some more learning. After all, you still need to know why it is important, don’t you? 

So, that’s exactly what I’ll be explaining next. While I’m sure that you already know of a few scenarios in which a virtual private network useful, I think it best to explain exactly why this service is important for some people and why they use it.

⎆ Get Your Clarifications

This way, you will get some clarifications about what a VPN can and cannot be used for since there are some limitations to it and it just might happen that what you imagine is impossible. In other words, you might overestimate the abilities of this service. 

On the other hand, you might have also underestimated it, which is also not a good thing. To put things simply, if you don’t understand why this service is important and what it can do, you might never use it to your full advantage. So, now I will try and explain exactly why a VPN is important. 

Why is a VPN Introduction Important? 

I suppose it’s clear by now how a virtual private network works. Remember the tunnels and the traffic redirection? How about the concept of hiding your IP address, your identity, and your location? Those are some of the things that you should always keep in mind when discussing and thinking about VPNs because those are the keys to figuring out why these are important and how you can use them to your advantage. 

There are, undoubtedly, quite a few significant things that you can do with the help of a virtual private network. If you take the time to find and read some useful guides and tutorials about VPNs, you will undoubtedly be able to figure out exactly what it is that you can do with the help of this service and use it to your advantage. It’s time to have a look at some of the things you can do with it and help you understand the importance of the service. 

⎆ Boost Your Security 

If you ever connected to public Wi-Fi and nothing bad happened, you should consider yourself quite lucky. These connections are so insecure that virtually anybody can spy on you and your activities, meaning that they might also be able to access and steal some of your important data, including your credit card number and similar things. Sounds scary, huh? Well, that’s probably because it most certainly is scary. If you decide to use a VPN while browsing through those insecure connections, you’ll definitely manage to boost your security and stay properly protected. 

⎆ Get Around Network Restrictions 

Some school and work networks have decided to impose certain restrictions on the content that can be accessed and browsed through their computers. While this is definitely the right move in most instances, it can easily happen that some people might just be taking advantage of this possibility by imposing all kinds of restrictions even if they are completely unnecessary. How would you like to get around those? 

If you thought that breaching the restrictions is impossible, then you were certainly wrong. First, you must find a VPN provider, connect to a different server and browse anything you want.

⎆ Hide Your Activity 

It’s not surprising to hear that you wish to remain invisible (learn more) while browsing the Internet, for one reason or another. For instance, you might be entering some sensitive content or researching a topic that is controversial. This is definitely one of the main reasons why people decide to use a virtual private network. 

If you remember what I said above, then you know that a VPN allows you to connect to a remote server and change your IP address. That, in turn, hides your identity and location. Journalists often use this option because confidentiality is important in their business.

⎆ Avoid Geographic Restrictions & Access Blocked Content 

If you try to access Netflix and Hulu, you might find viewing restrictions for your area. What a nightmare, am I right?

But, by using a VPN, you get to connect to a remote server located just about anywhere in the world. Here’s what this basically means. Let’s say you are in France and want to watch a show on Netflix that streams only from the USA. All you have to do is connect to a USA server using your VPN. After that, since your IP address changes, it looks like your location is different than it is.

Be aware that with the restrictions of these streaming platforms, people are using VPNs to get content out of their areas. So, as you can see, VPN services have both a serious and a fun side to them. Remember that finding a reliable service provider is important, regardless of why you want to use a VPN. 

There are a few more things that you should know about these services: https://www.networkworld.com/article/3138952/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-virtual-private-networks.html 

Your VPN Introduction

If you are trying to decide whether to use one or not, I hope this VPN introduction helps you. Basically, you need to decide for yourself whether you need it or not. Here’s what I can tell you, though. If you need to boost your security online, hide your internet activity, or access restricted content, then using a VPN is the right solution for you. 

Thanks for visiting today. Please leave your questions and suggestions in the comment section below. While you’re there, check out the other links below that take you to more interesting articles about ALL things DESIGN for your home or business.

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