A VPN is a Virtual Private Network, essentially a tunnel like a proxy between two distinct points which is normally encrypted to each end device. It’s a technology that has been around for decades, however for most of that time unless you worked in the IT department you’d not normally hear the expression. As the internet developed and companies started to utilise the net to allow employees to access their corporate network while travelling they began to become more common. Nowadays anyone who travels and works for a reasonable sized company will have a VPN client on their computer, it’s a safe and secure way to tunnel through the very insecure internet to access documents and emails without the need for dedicated links.
Over the years, the definition of VPN has changed slightly but now the internet version is pretty much mainstream. Everyone from gamers, ex-pats to people who travel all use VPNs for a variety of different reasons.
The first and important characteristic of a VPN is that the connection between the two devices is secure and encrypted. This means that although you might be trying to check your online bank account via a dodgy, free wireless connection in a coffee shop – all your data is protected. The VPN will encrypt all data being transferred including your username, password and all other details. This is really essential as the limitations and vulnerabilities of the only real protection you have online – SSL have been demonstrated many times online, basically that little key that we used to think delivers protection simply doesn’t.
Although security was the primary purpose for the creation of VPN technology, arguably there is a much greater demand for another reason – geo-blocking. Most of the world’s biggest websites filter what you can see depending on your physical location. For example when you connect to the BBC, there are two versions of the site – a UK version and an International version. The UK version has live tv and you get access to all the BBC iPlayer content, the international version has none of these and is also covered in adverts. Using a VPN which terminates in the UK, can bypass these blocks and give access to the full version. If you have a fast VPN enabled it’s a pretty seamless experience.
What is more as demand has increased a second generation of VPN clients have been created to service these requirements. Now a generation of software which gives access not just to a single, secure VPN server but a network distributed across the world. These clients mean that a user can unlock content in websites all over the world, using a VPN for Computer which can be switched from country to country. So a user picks a UK server for the BBC, then switched to a US server for sites like HBO and Hulu – potentially bypassing thousands of filters and blocks to the world’s most popular media sites.