While the internet makes our lives easier, we need to stay vigilant to prevent data breaches and cyber attacks. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to cybersecurity, there are certain elements you shouldn’t ignore.
Using a trustworthy VPN provides an extra layer of security to your connection, guaranteeing your privacy and protecting sensitive data on your personal and work environments.
Many VPN providers offer services catered to both personal and business users, offering different features and benefits according to their needs. We will cover the main aspects that distinguish a personal and a business VPN so you will better understand the importance of this service.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) gives you anonymity when browsing the internet. It encrypts your internet traffic by hiding your IP address, personal information, and browsing activity.
When connected to a VPN, your internet traffic goes through a VPN tunnel, encrypting the data exchanged between your devices and the web. It makes your activity hard to track while also giving you more browsing privacy.
Additionally, VPN also helps you solve your connection is not private error when trying to connect to a specific web page.
This error message often appears when web browsers like Chrome or Mozilla cannot verify the website’s SSL certificate. It might also occur because there is a problem with your internet connection or operating system.
Additionally, having a VPN on your devices allows you to access regional web content or websites that are only available in certain locations.
If you work remotely or have an online business, it is crucial not to carelessly access important files on your database or company’s network. A VPN provides a secure connection to do that safely.
However, if you plan to use a VPN service, it is important to understand whether a business or personal plan suits you best.
Personal VPN is designed for individual or personal use. While it is not mandatory to log in to a VPN when connected to a home network, some users are concerned about the fact that their internet provider tracks their browsing activities. To prevent the provider from monitoring your online activities, a personal VPN is essential.
Also, when you log in to the internet via public Wi-Fi, such as at a cafe, restaurant, or airport, attackers may intercept and steal sensitive information.
Using a personal VPN will encrypt your outgoing traffic, securing your personal information. Therefore, you can browse anonymously without worrying whether your data will be exposed.
As its name suggests, a business VPN is intended for business use, providing security and privacy by using end-to-end encryption on the companies’ networks.As a result, employees will access the company’s data, files, and other work resources in a safer environment.
A business VPN is also an essential tool in preventing cyberattack attempts. The internet traffic will be hard to track, making it more difficult to intercept data or access connected devices. This year, ransomware caused significant damages to several big companies. It takes advantage of systems’ vulnerabilities to gain access to data and prevent the company from accessing it.
While a business VPN service doesn’t protect your company from all potential cyberattacks, it is an essential element of cybersecurity.
While personal VPN and business VPN have similar concepts and purposes, they are still different in features and function.
VPN providers have set the number of users who can utilize the service depending on the VPN types.
Personal VPN is usually restricted to a single user. In most cases, the user needs to purchase a plan to access the full features of the VPN service.
Meanwhile, a business VPN service holds multiple users at once. Normally, a company only needs to create a single global account, which employees access on their devices. Each employee then receives a username and a password to connect to the corporate VPN.
Using a business VPN service, the account owner can add or remove the users’ access to the VPN service, make changes, and set rules for the VPN network.
On a personal VPN service, each user has complete control over their VPN configuration. For example, they can tweak the settings and connect their devices to the VPN network as they see fit.
Additionally, most private VPN services allow their users to connect several devices at once, ensuring their connection is protected regardless of the device they use.
Business VPN and personal VPN also differ in how they connect to the servers.
With corporate VPN, businesses either use a business server or get their own dedicated server, resulting in better stability and performance.
On the other hand, personal VPN users will be sharing the same server, which might cause some issues.
For example, a server might be slower than others, or it may get overloaded if there are too many users accessing it simultaneously.
Personal and business VPNs also differ in the type of IP addresses used. On private VPN, users mostly get shared IP addresses.
Thus, when they connect to a certain server, their IP address might also be used by other users. However, users normally get a random IP address whenever they reconnect to the same server.
Business VPN service provides a dedicated IP address in one server, meaning that other business users don’t share the same server. Unlike a private VPN, a business VPN has a default static IP address, providing the employees with the same IP address whenever they reconnect to the server.
Keep in mind that personal VPN services may also offer dedicated IP addresses at additional costs.
Another difference between personal VPN and corporate VPN is how they protect the user’s privacy.
Private VPN gives a secure way for individuals to access online information and cover their online activities. Also, it prevents third-party applications or services from monitoring and tracking their activities.
Business VPN provides global privacy protection for the entire company network. Thus, employees can safely access information while keeping their privacy and the company’s data safe.
Additionally, businesses can restrict access to their networks, so only those using the corporate VPN can reach the company’s resources.
Individual users only need to keep their VPN application updated, ensuring it has the latest features and improvements.
Business VPN application maintenance is more technical. Thus, companies frequently need the VPN provider’s assistance to ensure the service is set correctly and the application runs smoothly.
Private VPN users can download and install the VPN software following the provider’s installation guide according to the device and operating system they use.
On the other hand, a corporate VPN usually requires custom installation, tailored to the company’s needs. In addition to setting the number of users and locations, they need to determine what kind of VPN protocol they will use and the level of VPN management.
Knowing the difference between private VPN and enterprise VPN is important if you plan to purchase the service. Each type of VPN service works under the same principle – providing a more secure internet environment, but they are different in several aspects.
To sum up, here is a list of the seven aspects that differentiate these two types of VPN services:
Number of users
Account management
Use of regular or business servers
Use of shared or dedicated IP addresses
User privacy
Maintenance
Software installation
Keep in mind that VPN cannot fully protect you against cyber attacks. Therefore, it is always important to stay vigilant when browsing the internet, even when connected to a VPN.
