Why your business needs a VPN in 2020 and beyond.
Q2 2020 changed almost everything on the planet, and cybersecurity is no different. Perhaps the most chaotic business quarter in almost a century, Q2 brought the world to its knees—and changed the world’s perception of cybersecurity forever.
Remote work and BYOD policies have left many businesses vulnerable to cyber exploitation. Following the initial stages of the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 70% of major organizations are planning to increase their cybersecurity spending.
As companies transition to home offices, virtual communication tools have become a necessity. Over 15,000 Zoom meetings have been leaked online, some including private business discussions. Google Meet and Microsoft Teams also noted an increase in fake domains targeting users with malicious links and fake email notifications.
WHO reported a fivefold increase in cyber attacks, with leaked staff credentials online. Google alone blocked 18 million scam emails each day, with hackers impersonating government agencies and well-known health organizations.
With remote work soaring, 95% of IT professionals are facing additional security challenges, with 71% reporting an increase in cybersecurity threats and attacks related to COVID-19.
Now more than ever, businesses need secure solutions to protect their teams and enable secure access to company data and assets. VPNs help businesses in a variety of ways. But let’s focus on the 5 main reasons why every business needs to be working on a secure remote access VPN.
1. Facilitate secure remote access for your team
When the dust settles on this global pandemic, remote work might still be going strong. Companies have seen that flexibility and remote workforce security are critical to staying agile in our digital, unpredictable world. Make sure your company knows how to implement remote work safely and each team member is clear on connection protocols.
2. Mitigate risk by preventing cyber threats
Setting up a VPN for your business will hide online identities and locations—and this alone is helpful. But VPNs for business also give powerful encryption to protect sensitive data traffic, which makes them a must-have tool in every company’s belt.
3. Encrypt data traffic and protect endpoints
A VPN encrypts data traffic and allows remote users to connect and access company resources from any location. This means you don’t have to worry about vulnerable public or home Wi-Fi networks. Some VPNs also offer IP allowlisting (whitelisting) features, which means you can set up custom gateways and only allow entry to trusted devices or IP addresses.
4. Reduce security overhead cost
With no need for installation or additional hardware, a VPN is a relatively low-cost security solution. Quick, remote implementation allows for reduced labor cost and resource deployment. Some companies—like NordLayer—are even offering private servers with dedicated IP addresses for as low as $40/month, giving you instant secure remote access to cloud architectures. You can’t beat that level of cost-effectiveness.
5. Shed geo-restrictions to more easily conduct global QA testing
VPNs often let you click between server locations around the world. This allows the user to act as if they were in that local market. This can facilitate easier global QA testing and improve the evaluation of marketing campaigns and foreign market viability.
2020 has been a year for the history books, and there's still much more to come.
Ensuring cybersecurity has been and will continue to be critical in our new digital landscape. Remote work will remain to some degree, and businesses will need to secure employees’ access to company resources.
VPNs are a great way to give your business this security and flexibility. If you are concerned about cost or technical difficulty, there are new cloud-based business solutions that can elevate your security system and be implemented with no additional hardware.
Agnė Srėbaliūtė
Senior Creative Copywriter
Agne is a writer with over 15 years of experience in PR, SEO, and creative writing. With a love for playing with words and meanings, she creates unique content. Introverted and often lost in thought, Agne balances her passion for the tech world with hiking adventures across various countries. She appreciates the IT field for its endless learning opportunities.
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