VPN or Anonymizer: Which Is Right for You?
You know what a VPN is. But what about an anonymizer?
To what lengths does your business go to protect the privacy and security of your employees and the sensitive data they share? Do you have policies in place or do you rely on your staff to make good choices? Do you employ specific software or hardware to bolster the security of your network and the data housed on your data center servers?
The subject of security can get very complicated, very fast. But for any business serious about protecting their investments, it can’t be taken lightly. That’s why you should consider doing everything and anything to help.
This is made especially important now that so many people are working from home. When working remotely, those users will have to access resources on your company network, from their homes. Those same users will also be sending and receiving sensitive information over a home network, which you have zero control over. Some of that information will be directly related to important (and often proprietary) projects you are working on with software development outsourcing or other third-party companies.
So what do you do? What more can you add to your business to give your security a boost?
There are two particular pieces of technology you should consider, one of which you are probably already familiar with and one you might not know much about. The two technologies I’m talking about are VPNs and anonymizers. You know what a VPN is. But what about an anonymizer?
That’s where things get a bit fuzzy. Let’s dig into these two types of technologies and figure out which is right for you. Pay close attention, as these technologies can appear similar.
What is a VPN?
The VPN has been a very important piece of technology for a long time. But it’s undergone a bit of change over the years. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. Once upon a time, it was the primary way remote users were given access to resources on a company LAN. You had to have a VPN client installed on your computer, that would communicate to the VPN server on the company LAN. Once the connection was made, your client could act as though it were on the company network, giving you access to all the resources within.
With the advent of the cloud, that type of VPN was (for many businesses) rendered obsolete. No longer did employees require using complicated VPN clients to connect with your resources. Now, those same employees only need an account on your company cloud and everything was made available.
And yet the VPN is still around — with a twist. These days, VPNs are used to connect desktops and mobile devices to private networks. VPNs work by routing a device’s internet connection through a private server, rather than your home network. Because those home networks are supplied by internet service providers that don’t offer the type of security required for most businesses, the VPN adds a layer of much-needed protection.
There are countless VPN services you can subscribe to, some of which are free, and others are paid. You can find VPNs for traditional computers (desktops and laptops), mobile devices (both Android and iOS), and nearly every operating system on the planet. Some of these VPNs work as browser add-ons, while others use desktop or mobile apps for connectivity.
A VPN is especially important when sharing sensitive information over an insecure network (such as those found in coffee shops or other public Wi-Fi networks). And because nearly every VPN encrypts your data, you won’t have to worry about that data being intercepted by nefarious actors. Once you’re connected to a VPN, not even your ISP can see your traffic. That’s considerably more security than what a typical home network (or public Wi-Fi connection) can offer.
One very important aspect of the VPN is that once connected, all of your internet traffic is encrypted. So if you’re using a web browser, an email client, or using a terminal window to secure shell into a remote server, it’s all encrypted.
What is an anonymizer?
The next bit of technology is an anonymizer. This is a bit more complicated than a VPN, mostly because it takes a few more steps to set up. What an anonymizer does is make your network activity utterly untraceable. In other words, when employing an anonymizer, your internet traffic is anonymous. This works by masking your real IP address and substituting it with another IP address.
With anonymizers your network traffic can even look as though it’s from another country, making it even harder for your network traffic to be traced. This can be especially important because it can minimize the risk of unwanted actors tracking your online activity. Say, for example, you’re researching something that must remain secret (due to copyright or other reasons). With an anonymizer, it would be incredibly challenging to figure out what it is you’re researching.
If privacy is tantamount to your security, you shouldn’t overlook the anonymizer. And with a number of available anonymizers, it’s really easy to employ them. One of the most popular anonymizers is Tor, which triple-encrypts network traffic and bounces it through computers around the globe.
The first caveat to using an anonymizer is that, because of how they work, they slow down your network traffic. This slowdown can be drastic at times. So if speed is critical for you, an anonymizer might not work out well. There are also services, like Onionshare, which make it possible to send large files over the Tor network. So if you’re looking for the means to seriously protect file transfers, you could opt to go that route.
The second caveat to anonymizers is that they are application-specific. You must employ an anonymizer for web browsing, one for email, and one for other tools or tasks.
So which is right for you?
The answer to that question isn’t actually all that hard. If you need all of your network traffic encrypted and hidden from plain sight, you go with a VPN service. If, however, you need serious anonymity but are okay with doing so on an app-by-app basis, you go with an anonymizer.
Either route you take will lead to greater privacy and security. So whether you’re working for an offshore development company or the same company that has employed you for that past decade, you can make use of the tools to protect your network traffic from those who might do you and your company harm.
