What Is A VPN?

The good old VPN this is something that is not used commonly, but it should be. There is also a lot of people that might be using one, but don't know why. Whatever someones reason is for using a VPN the fact remains that they are very important and useful depending on the situation. The are most commonly used for business' and public Wi-Fi spots. There are many benefits to using a VPN, but there is a lot of risk if someone does not use a trusted vendor. This is why I will give you the break down of what a VPN is and some trusted VPN vendors.

What Is A VPN?

A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. To put this in simple terms when you connect to the internet you send packets of information to the server you are connecting to. So if I am on Google they know my IP, Browser Type, General Location, Language, and probably much more. They are able to determine this from my IP address which is basically a group of numbers separated by a period that is given to hardware that connects to the internet. example IP would be 74.125.227.83 that will connect you to one of Google's servers. What a VPN does is it encrypts your data and clicks to that companies servers sends the data back and changes your IP address. The best thing  that since your data is encrypted which makes it hard for the data to be stolen on a public Wi-Fi spot.

When Should I Use A VPN

You should use a VPN when you are on public Wi-Fi. The reason is because there are a lot of people that can get your private information from that Wi-Fi spot and they can steal your credit information if you do online banking in a public place. You should also use this if you use any sort of account whether it be Google, Microsoft, or any other.

Other Uses

Get around Wi-Fi blocks.
Protects against malicious sites
Reduces bandwidth

Trusted Companies/Products 

HotSpot Shield http://www.hotspotshield.com/en

Avast Secure Line http://www.avast.com/en-us/index

Cyber Ghost http://cyberghostvpn.com/