6 Reasons to Use a VPN at Work
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Protecting yourself online doesn’t have to stop at your personal devices. Using a VPN at work comes with advantages as well.
If you’re using your personal laptop or corporate device, you’re most likely connected to a company-wide network. To access and keep all vital information safe, this method is commonly used by many companies. In this way, they can protect sensitive data and monitor any malicious activity.
These networks are used by companies for reasons such as blocking specific social media sites, preventing workers from using torrents or downloading huge files, monitoring progress, etc.
Why do I need to use a VPN at work?
The VPN acts as a shield that prevents others from harming you in any electronic way and keeps track of what you are doing. Whether it’s on your corporate computer or on your own computer, while connected to the corporate network without a VPN, your IT can see every website you visit and for how long. In some cases, tracking software may be installed on these devices giving them access to monitor more than you would expect.
A study found that a whopping 16-30% of employees either don’t know what a VPN is or don’t use it. Also, US employees are more likely to use their corporate devices for personal browsing than their UK counterparts.
There is more to a VPN than accessing blocked websites. That’s why I made a list of 6 reasons why I would recommend a VPN at work to get all-around protection when using public WiFi, surfing the internet and employers keeping an eye on you.
6 reasons why you should use a VPN at work
- Hide your browsing habits
- View blocked content and websites
- Protect your privacy from peeping eyes
- Keep company secrets within the network
- Work from home easily
- Join the BYOD trend
Reason 1: Hide your browsing habits
If you are not using a VPN, there are risks to you by not protecting your data. It can be secondary, such as receiving targeted advertising. When your ISP collects your data or you forget to log out of your Google and Facebook accounts, your search history and preferences may trigger these ads. Likewise, your location can be found by your IP address.
That’s why when you contact these platforms, it is important to keep in mind that additional information may be collected and it may be possible to determine your actual location. This happens on every website you visit. Your IP address also allows your employer and other entities to monitor and identify your online movements.
Also, those annoying ads for coffee pots won’t follow you on every website you visit, including Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc. This is considering logging out of these platforms and clearing your cookies. Without the recorded data of what you searched for and clicked on, these third-party companies would have a hard time keeping track of your browsing path.
Although a VPN acts as a layer of privacy, and can help you search somewhat anonymously, if you don’t log out of your personal accounts, these sites will still find traces of your browsing history.
With Surfshark Search, you can prevent this from happening. By using Organic and No Tracking results, you can avoid triggering specific keywords that could trigger firewalls and filters that might raise some eyebrows. It’s best not to get into trouble with your company and stay away from endless advertisements for candle holders and picture frames.
Reason 2: View blocked content and sites
Your workplace may restrict access to some websites when using the network and their IP address. If you can hide the IP addresses of the blocked websites you visit, it is possible to avoid these types of restrictions.
Most companies and organizations place these restrictions on their employees through something called web filter. Many different reasons for blocking websites that deal with gambling, anything racist or offensive, and adult content are the obvious reasons. However, others prevent their workers from listening to music on sites such as Facebook or YouTube due to bandwidth usage and the potential for lower work productivity.
Suppose you are working hard but need a short break. Then you choose to look at the memes. A VPN will encrypt everything you do so your boss doesn’t specify what you’re looking for. They will only be able to determine that you are connected to one IP.
Every working human deserves to take a break from time to time. We are not bots, but we also want to appear professional and not waste our reputation. Looking at memes or watching dog videos on YouTube is not a crime. No VPN connection to bypass filtering to enjoy this free time.
Reason 3: Protect your privacy from prying eyes
Using a VPN is not only limited to private browsing, but it can also be useful for staying away from cyber threats. Of course, the most significant risks arise if someone gets hold of your data. Anyone with the right tools can intercept your passwords, banking information, and anything else you send online (which is probably a lot), even at work.
According to IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2020, phishing was one of the most used attack vectors by hackers in 2019. Technology, social networking, and streaming services companies make up the 10 leading brands that cybercriminals fake in phishing attempts.
Even when using a VPN at work, it is difficult to know which links may be infected with viruses. That’s why by using CleanWeb from Surfshark, you can reduce your chances of being exposed to malware infected sites that could put you at risk of phishing attempts and other online scams.
Maintain your privacy online. It’s your right, and since there’s almost nowhere you can connect on the Internet without someone seeing you, a VPN can give you much needed protection. This way, you can browse while maintaining your anonymity.
Reason 4: Connect privately to public Wi-Fi
Picture this: You’re going out for your lunch or coffee break but forgot to send an important file to your team. so, what are you doing? It connects to the available public WiFi and sends this company’s information. what would happen?
Well, by connecting to public WiFi without VPN, you can risk being monitored by hackers who might steal that sensitive history (login email and passwords). Since most of the hotspots do not use any encryption either, it is easy to access the connection and stealing private information is not a problem. A VPN can save you from such situations even when connected to hotspots or Wi-Fi.
When you connect to a public WiFi, the possibility of your information being stolen without a VPN increases. If you accidentally click on an advertisement or a malicious website, it can negatively affect your business because every company has specific, nonpublic information that customers, let alone strangers, cannot see.
Reason 5: Work safely from home
Working from home, in a private office, or at a table in your favorite coffee shop can increase productivity as long as employees have the necessary resolve and discipline to focus on the work. It is essential to ensure that your connection is secure and that all your private data will not be leaked. The risk of exposing this sensitive data could harm your computer, you, and possibly your business.
You are probably connected to your home WiFi network, which contains a login and password. It’s more secure than public WiFi, but not hiding your IP address can be a recipe for disaster. Unsecured WiFi networks are notorious for allowing hackers to get hold of unsuspecting users’ data. Don’t let them see your real IP address and they might use it against you.
Feel free to ask your employer about using Surfshark VPN to securely access the company’s network remotely. They may even incur the monthly cost to prevent any mishaps.
Reason 6: BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
Get the latest trends where company employees can enjoy working from their own devices in the office or from home. Not only will you be able to stay alert at any time
When you arrive, but the VPN download is entirely up to you. Since it’s your device, you have every right to install software that keeps your privacy intact.
When connected to a corporate WiFi network, it starts with a traditional login (username and password), then a second authentication factor is applied to enhance security. A VPN can keep this information secure in the network without affecting how your device works.
However, stay alert if a company asks you to install and trust their certificates on your laptop. This may give them the ability to monitor your device and access private or sensitive information. A VPN can help you bypass this and you will be able to feel comfortable while working.
How is this for you?
It’s hard to imagine that anyone would want to see everything you do on the Internet and take your personal information, right? Well, we have to take this into account and understand that it happens, whether you are working from your laptop or from a corporate device. Setting up a protective protection like Surfshark VPN will take less than 3 minutes to install, but it will give you the protection needed to stay safe in the online world.
written by
Nancy Cusio
On an adventure exploring the world of technology!
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