In 2023, the FBI's annual Internet Crime Report announced more than $12.5 billion in losses due to online fraud. Up 22% from the year before, it was a major blow to the American public.
A virtual private network (VPN) offers more protection against online fraud, and it’s a popular choice for individuals and businesses that value their privacy and security. If you have a virtual business address, you may wonder if a VPN will help protect your business’s sensitive data.
Below, we’ll look at why VPNs are effective, but also, why they aren’t always necessary to prevent fraud — particularly if you choose a reputable virtual address service with its own built-in protections.
A VPN is a specific type of internet connection that integrates more cybersecurity protocols into its network fabric. You can think of it as a passageway where data routes through a remote server.
VPNs encrypt the data that passes through them, turning sensitive information like credit card numbers and medical records into indecipherable code. This way, even if it’s stolen, the information is unreadable. With a VPN, all internet traffic must pass through the server before it reaches its final destination.
If you use a virtual mailbox service, you can access your mail digitally from anywhere in the world. But public Wi-Fi networks and even home networks may have little more than feeble firewalls to ward off criminal activity. Whether you’re in a coffee shop, a hotel room, or your home office, a VPN reduces your security risks.
In addition to encryption and decryption, VPNs provide the following security measures:
Developers build VPNs to be more secure than standard networks, but they also tailor them to suit different needs. Whether you’re a small business owner or run a massive enterprise, there’s a VPN option built for your specific requirements.
The most common types of VPNs include:
Each type of VPN suits different conditions. For example, a double network may function well enough under a normal workload but falter if you hit a particularly busy period. So, if you pair a virtual mail service with a double VPN for extra protection, your organization can stumble if you hit an unexpectedly high mail volume.
If you digitally access sensitive mail, whether on iOS or Android devices, you need to protect that information from internet fraudsters and opportunists. This is about more than just avoiding legal hassles — a security breach can threaten the reputation you’ve worked so hard to build.
While VPNs aren’t always necessary, especially if you work with a secure mailbox service provider like Stable, they can offer multiple benefits. Let’s look at what you can expect from a VPN and how VPNs help you withstand criminal attacks, avoid location restrictions, and improve business workflows.
Encryption scrambles personal information into unreadable junk, making it so that unauthorized parties can’t interpret the data. A VPN establishes a connection between two devices and subjects both to encryption keys.
These keys code data to protect against hackers and decode data for authorized parties. This makes VPN connections private, even when they interact with public infrastructure.
Let’s say that you’re traveling and need to access your digital mail through a hotel network halfway around the globe. In doing so, you could potentially expose your data to the hotel’s internet exchange point (IXP), which serves as the hotel’s physical intermediary.
If a hacker infiltrated the IXP with malware or spyware, but you’re using a VPN, they would only see encrypted data instead of clear text. Studies show that 43% of American VPN users do so to ensure their privacy and security, largely thanks to VPNs’ ability to keep data out of the wrong hands.
With a VPN, you enjoy online anonymity. Much like drawing the curtains in your home rather than installing a full security system, a VPN keeps your personal information from prying eyes. From browsing histories to photo databases, a VPN affords you full online privacy.
Do you know how advertisers constantly shove those annoying personalized pop-up ads in your face when you’re browsing the internet? A VPN keeps them from tracking your user activity and building a user profile to serve up those ads.
Privacy is more than just reducing online nuisances though. Criminals can use your search patterns to predict your next move, so better privacy can protect you from cyber threats.
Your IP address ties you to your geographic location, meaning that your most important virtual tools and sites may not be available depending on where you are.
For example, you may not be able to access your online bank account while you’re in a foreign country (even with two-factor authentication) if your institution doesn’t recognize the IP address.
A VPN changes your IP address, so it appears as though you’re in another location. By shielding where you are, you can enjoy full access to your data.
If you use virtual mailbox services to filter and manage physical mail, a VPN ensures that you can always access your mailbox — even if you’re in a country with restrictive internet policies.
Avoiding geo-restrictions also affords you more flexibility. Let’s say you need to order business supplies while abroad, but your preferred online store restricts purchases from your location. With a VPN, you can still use your favorite e-retailer without having to wait until you return home.
Your internet speed is directly tied to bandwidth, and it’s subject to throttling by your internet services provider (ISP). Throttling refers to a slowdown of your internet connection. This can happen because you’ve reached a data cap or opted for standard rather than premium internet, but it can also happen if your provider has ulterior motives.
Data throttling is a tricky business because ISPs are deliberately vague when explaining a slower internet connection. They may stall access to your favorite sites, so you’re tempted to upgrade to a better internet package.
For example, if you consistently use video conferencing tools with clients and employees, you might find your connection quality degrades over time. Should you challenge the provider, they may say that they experienced unexpected traffic surges during that time, but you would have no way to confirm whether this was true or not.
Of course, for an ISP to slow you down, they’d first need to know what you’re accessing before plotting how best to restrict it. With a VPN, you hide key information from your ISP, so you can enjoy consistently faster internet speeds.
It’s worth noting that if data throttling is occurring due to abnormal network congestion or because you have a data cap, a VPN will not solve these issues. To clarify one way or the other, you can test out services on a VPN vs. a standard network to compare and contrast.
Research finds that 22.5% of the American workforce will work from home by 2025, so the best VPNs for businesses allow secure access to company resources from your home network. Whether it’s SharePoint or proprietary billing software, it’s simple to consolidate virtual tools and data so there are no gaps between your work at the office and your work at home.
For example, say you hired an employee to help you manage your incoming mail through your virtual mailbox service and gave them full permission to triage letters and packages. With a VPN, you can ensure your employee has access to all systems, so they can review and handle every piece of mail from home.
Yes, when you use Stable’s virtual mail service, you can do so safely without a VPN. With Stable, you get all the benefits of encryption without having to pay for VPN services.
Our platform is both HIPAA- and SOC-2-compliant, thanks to our stringent security policies. In addition to some of the strictest controls in the industry, we also offer the following services:
Stable employs robust security protections to keep your data secure without a VPN. However, you may want a VPN provider for other reasons, such as streaming Netflix abroad or accessing your company’s proprietary databases.
Regardless of your final decision, it’s important to weigh the direct and indirect costs of a VPN. In addition to the standard monthly expense, your individual experience will depend on everything from your ISP to your traveling habits to your remote employee policies.
Stable’s virtual mailbox services protect your information with advanced security protocols. Because we work with clients from all industries, including the heavily regulated healthcare field, we go above and beyond to ensure data integrity.
If you’re looking for seamless digital access to your physical mail without having to shell out more money for a VPN, Stable is the answer. We’re here to give you the features you need without the contingencies you don’t.
Sign up for Stable today for secure digital mail management — without the extra expense of a VPN!
