The internet’s accessibility has made it an essential tool for both individuals and enterprises. Unfortunately, it has also provided an opportunity for data pirates to exploit. To protect data assets, businesses would do well to consider the use of proxies.
Data security has become increasingly important due to the rising number of incidents involving the theft of private and corporate information.
For that reason, any competitive enterprise should look into securing their files. You’ve probably already heard of VPNs as they’re a popular choice for private individuals. What we’re suggesting is that internet proxies are better suited for businesses.
The Basics
But where would you even start? What do VPNs and proxies actually do, anyway? These are a few of the most commonly asked questions by people looking for online security.
Don’t worry, the important first part is knowing that security is necessary. After that, it’s just a matter of studying what each of them can offer.
To get everyone on the same page, let’s break down the two into simpler terms:
What is Proxy?
Proxies have been around for a while. When we talk about proxies, we’re talking about another layer of security. Each internet “interaction” is first relayed to your proxy which acts as a gatehouse.
This means your IP address is masked by a totally different server. The masking of the IP is generated as you go along.
The nature of proxies allows for the management of a couple of things on your site. From site performance to site traffic, internet proxies are pretty versatile.
What is VPN?
VPNs, on the other hand, are more of a private road. Virtual Private Networks secure your internet surfing by redirecting it onto a secure pathway that keeps things encrypted on either end.
This makes this ideal for individuals; especially in countries where search behavior might be monitored and restricted. By creating a virtual private route through the public network, individuals can maintain a level of anonymity.
Now that we know how both work, let’s talk about why we’re choosing proxies for businesses.
To help you better understand how your business could benefit more by using proxies over VPNs, we’ve broken it down into 4 primary reasons that we hope will help clarify this issue.
Top 4 Reasons to Choose Proxy Over VPN for Business
1. Balances Traffic
One thing businesses must keep in mind is the customer! That means making their experience on your site as convenient as you can for them. After all, increasing the quantity and quality of your customer interaction is one of the main objectives of all your marketing efforts.
When businesses use proxies for security, they are also able to optimize their site’s traffic capacity. This can be done through peering.
Essentially, peering makes use of cloud storage to store your site’s data all over the internet over different servers. These servers each store small portions of your site. Users then access your site through an access point that directs traffic.
By directing these different flows through your proxy, you are increasing the amount of bandwidth available. That means serving more customers without the fear of overloading your servers.
Site crashes are often some of the most frustrating experiences for a customer. The trick is to avoid that problem altogether right from the start.
2. Scrape The Web
When people talk about internet proxies, they usually bring up web scraping. Web scraping, in a nutshell, is an effective form of data gathering. Bots are used to “scrape” data off from targeted sites.
Understandably, some sites have deployed measures against this as some individuals have used web scraping with malicious intent.
For businesses, this has become a problem. After all, businesses have no interest in private or personal data. All they want are basic demographics that can provide some insight for their marketing strategies.
Making use of a proxy will allow your business to bypass any restrictive software. That’s thanks to the numerous IPs available to proxies. The diversity of IPs used will easily pass any security checks.
3. “Gated” Security
The proxy acts as a gateway and the VPN is similar to a tunnel. In function, they aim for a similar goal--security. In form, their differences are much more pronounced.
Let’s use SSL proxies as an example. Ever notice the “https” at the start of each site URL you navigate to? That stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Sockets Layer. The secure sockets layer is what we call SSL.
Well, that used to be just HTTP. Over the past years, websites have switched over to HTTPS. That’s why Chrome sometimes stops you from entering a site; they’re telling you that the site doesn’t have SSL certification.
And there’s a reason for the stop. The SSL certification guarantees the site's security for users. This means any and all data processed on the site is secure from potential hackers.
Now, apply that logic to SSL proxies. These are proxies that make use of SSL protocols to secure your internet presence. It’s fully compliant with the industry standard.
4. SEO-Friendly
The modern business cannot overlook SEO. It has been the best way to maintain a digital presence and to develop reach. With that in mind, you wouldn’t want to skimp on any SEO benefits.
For the uninitiated, SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the practice of optimizing site characteristics to rank higher on search results pages. It’s a whole new industry in itself and has provided access for many small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs).
Proxies are priceless as they fully support and assist many SEO methods. A few examples are:
● Avoiding the “fake” ads
● Keeps site performance in mind
● User-experience is positively affected
● Does not hinder data gathering
We’re not implying VPNs are incapable of SEO support. What we’re stating is that proxies are perfectly suited for SEO goals.
Conclusion
As a modern business, you’ll want to be sure your company data is safe. Imagine if your business involved a need for customer registration. That’s a potential private information leak that you’ll want to avoid at all costs.
Additionally, a lot of businesses keep their practices private to prevent the competition from getting their hands on sensitive data.
These concerns are readily addressed through the use of proxies to secure your internet connection. Without a doubt, you have much to gain by ensuring site security through proxies.
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