As I sit happily sipping my green tea at Starbucks, enjoying free Wi-Fi, I can't help but wonder where all of this information is going. Can someone else access my class notes right now? Did another girl intercept my email? Is my information safe in this public place? As I learned through week three's lectures, there is a way to ensure that my information is not received by any unintended receptors. One way to do this is through VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks.
VPNs should be used when it is important that people do not have access to your files and information over a network. A VPN uses encryption technology to safeguard your data. The technology breaks your data into a billion puzzle pieces that are basically impossible to put back together unless your computer has the correct code or key to do so. If someone intercepted your data while it was encrypted it would look like a jumbled mess -- good luck trying to put all of that nonsense back together! They would need a lot more than Nancy Drew's sleuthing skills for that.
VPNs are great for traveling or if you have a remote office. Maybe your company's headquarters are in Nashville, TN, but you have a branch in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. A VPN would be a good investment to protect any information that was transported between the two. Maybe you are traveling my plane from one city to the other. You could access your VPN securely from the airport as a means of protection as well.
This video outlines how VPNs work in more detail. It also explains the many benefits of a VPN.
Below is an illustration of how a Virtual Private Network operates. It demonstrates quite well how a VPN can be used. (Source: wikipedia)
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