Being safe with a VPN when browsing

The past few weeks have been hectic on account of the coronavirus pandemic. Among other effects, the pandemic has caused a massive disruption of daily operations in many fronts including schools, restaurants, and organizations. Learning institutions have resorted to remote learning through online classes, and many businesses have had to let employees work from home. As a result, interactions have been moved to online platforms and social applications.

This has brought an uphill task to internet providers and other wireless networks in ensuring there is a reliable connection to support all these systems. However, beyond the stable internet connection, there lies a concealed hitch – online privacy.

How to make your web activity safe

The internet is far from secure. Its architecture has a few shortcomings that make your online activity vulnerable to attacks, spying eyes and trackers. In addition, most organizations have taken operations online a move that cybercriminals and snoopers are likely to leverage.

As such, it’s imperative to ensure that your web browsing is secure. There are several measures that you can implement to achieve this. They include two-factor authentication, password managers, and VPNs.

Of these options, the latter, is the most ideal as it can firmly guarantee your online privacy not to mention the other benefits you stand to reap. Companies such as NordVPN have specialized in delivering reliable VPN services. A closer look at NordVPN further reveals that its VPN plans are a bargain compared to others.

How practical are VPNs in such pandemic scenarios?

Employees can use VPNs to connect to the firm’s internal files and directories safely. This makes remote working secure as you don’t have to fret about your activity being monitored or tracked.

Besides the security and anonymity boons, VPNs are also useful when you need to access sensitive or restricted content. Where necessary, one can use the VPN to skirts firewalls too.

That said, there is a big bump in the road. A majority of the VPN providers don’t have solid VPNs that can support entire firms. So, how do you get the best VPN service in light of this and other concerns?

How to Choose a VPN service

The right choice of a VPN depends on several factors such as price, reliability, speed, data transfer limit and support. Other important things you keep in mind are:

Needs

If you need a VPN that’ll serve more than one person say a couple of employees, you should consider VPNs that allow multiple connections simultaneously. On the other hand, if you need to cater to family needs, VPNs with family plans are a no-brainer. For your individual needs, you can employ any reliable VPN that supports at least 2 connection at the same time.

Be careful of free versions

Most VPNs have free trials and money-back guarantees to test their services. You can exploit this before making a purchase. Some VPN providers also offer free versions, but we recommend you avoid these unless the provider is highly reputed and trusted.

Don’t commit until you are satisfied with the VPN

Most of the long-term plans have a considerable discount on their price. This can be very luring, especially to newbies who may unknowingly commit to poor VPNs. Don’t be too quick to subscribe to long-term plans until you have tested and found the VPN effective.

Server location & VPN headquarters

It is also important to know where the VPN provider is based and the server locations as well. The location of a VPN company determines the jurisdiction it is under. For instance, NordVPN is based in Panama, which is outside the Five Eyes and Fourteen Eyes alliance. Besides, there are no mandatory data retention policies in Panama.

Using a VPN

Getting and using a VPN is simple. First, you need to decide the VPN you want before proceeding to download it. Install and launch it once you are done. You may be prompted to sign up in which case you’ll have to register. After this, configure the settings if there is a need and start enjoying secure web browsing.