What is a VPN?

17th March 2025

70% of people in Britain* are using them – why?

You have likely heard of a VPN – I can’t watch television, listen to a podcast or browse the internet without being served an advert for one: they are everywhere.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a service that creates a secure, encrypted connection between your device (or multiple devices, depending on the service) and the internet. Why is this useful? There are a few reasons:

Privacy and Security: VPNs prevent cyber criminals (as well as government agencies or sites that track your data) from accessing your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic, keeping your search data secure.

Access Restricted Content: some online content is locked to certain regions. The best example of this is probably Netflix: the content that appears on the UK version is different to what appears on the US version depending on who has the rights to certain media. By using a VPN, you can make it appear that your device is in another country, allowing you to access the alternative site.

Safe Public Wi-Fi Use: public Wi-Fi is notorious for lacking effective cyber security measures, making it easy for bad actors to access your data. A VPN adds a layer of protection by making it more difficult to be tracked.

Bypass Censorship: some countries have strict internet censorship that prevents certain sites from being accessed. VPNs allow users to get around this.

So, do you need a VPN? It depends. If you’d like an extra level of privacy and security, as well as the added benefits of being able to access content from across the globe, then it is a worthwhile investment. However, if you already have a good level of cyber security, it might not be necessary.

If you’re unsure if you need a VPN, talk to us HERE, we’d be happy to provide some guidance.

*https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/business/vpn-statistics/#how_many_brits_use_vpns – according to this survey