Remote work and online business are nothing new. It is increasingly difficult to lure young professionals to work in the office. And companies are not averse to benefiting from saving on office space and hiring skilled workers for creative industries around the world.
This opens up opportunities for professionals to live in countries with low costs and work for companies in countries with high wages. For many, this has become a solution to the housing price crisis in highly developed nations.
Effective remote work requires self-discipline and the use of certain technologies. Among them is VPN as a tool for safe remote work and search for new opportunities. In this article, we’ll find out how to use a VPN to increase the efficiency of remote work or your online business.
How does a VPN work?
To use any technology effectively, it is important to understand its basic functionality. A VPN functions as a protective shield for your online activities. It provides a secure network over which you can surf the Internet without compromising your privacy. You can visit any website and access any content on the Internet without interference through a VPN network. Some people call it a tunnel through which you can access the Internet securely.
As a remote worker, you can work from any place, and no one will be able to pinpoint where you are. Your VPN network server masks your IP and encrypts your traffic.
So, the way a VPN works is as follows:
1) You connect to the VPN on your device (Android or iOS phone, laptop, etc.) and choose one of the available remote servers located in different countries.
2) The VPN client encrypts all your data (online requests, login credentials, personal correspondence) and sends it to its remote server instead of sending it directly to the recipient’s server.
3) On the remote server, your data is decrypted and redirected to the recipient’s server.
The same procedure happens with incoming data: it is first sent to the VPN server, encrypted there, and only then redirected to your device. Decryption is performed automatically by the VPN client at the moment of data receipt.
Thus, the VPN performs 2 main tasks:
- Encryption is responsible for ensuring that your data cannot be read in case of leakage or interception.
- IP address changing. The recipients of your data see only the IP address of the VPN server you have chosen, not your own. The IP address carries a lot of information about you as a user (for example, your location) and serves as a code for collecting information about you online to create your portrait.
Thus, thanks to its basic functions, a VPN allows you to work securely and change your virtual location every time you connect to a new server. This opens up many new opportunities in the era of remote work.
How to use a VPN to boost your career and find new opportunities for remote work and online business
1. Explore global job markets.
Some job boards or freelance platforms may have region-specific listings. Nevertheless, a VPN is a great tool for circumventing geo-restrictions. To access a job search website for a specific country or region, connect to a remote VPN server located in that location. The portal will read your virtual location from the IP address of the selected server, and the restrictions will not apply to you. This is a great way to find remote work in other countries. Employers who favor local applicants will find your application more enticing if you appear to be located in the same nation as the job posting.
By connecting to multiple VPN servers, you can freely explore the global job market. Compare the working conditions and compensation specified in vacancies for your profession in different countries and choose the best ones.
2. Access freelance platforms.
Users from some countries may not be able to use certain freelance sites. By using a VPN, you may get around these limitations and sign up to work on websites that pay more or have more employment prospects. To do this, you need to test the connection to different remote servers as described in the previous point.
If you manage multiple freelance accounts on the same platform for different clients or purposes, a VPN can help you log in from different virtual locations without raising red flags.
3. Improve your skills.
The remote trend has not spared the training sector either. By connecting to different VPN servers, you will have more learning options available as you can access any content. So you can not only find a suitable online course but also save money on training by choosing a cheaper alternative.
4. Work from anywhere.
Working remotely gives you the privilege of creating a workspace wherever you want. You can leave your home and work at a local coffee shop. This flexibility can significantly improve work-life balance and increase productivity.
It’s a fact that hackers target users of public Wi-Fi networks to steal their data and use it for malicious purposes. If you are also accessing your company’s servers over an unsecured connection, you may unknowingly allow criminals to infiltrate your corporate network.
So, the best thing you can do when using a free network is to use a VPN. If you are away from the office, a VPN service can help you connect to your work PC.
Many things can go wrong with free Wi-Fi hotspots, such as hacker attacks. Instead of losing confidential data to cybercriminals, connect securely with a VPN service and avoid trouble. Thanks to the encryption of all incoming and outgoing traffic, you don’t have to worry about business data leakage and can work either in the nearest coffee shop or on the beach in Bali.
In addition to the security of remote work, a VPN also allows you to maintain your personal freedom and not reveal your current location to your colleagues or boss. If you don’t want your colleagues to know that you’re traveling abroad, connect to a VPN server located in your home country before you start working. This way, your employer’s systems won’t receive any suspicious signals and there will be no questions about your destination.
If you work from mobile devices, you can install the VPN on the Android OS. A free VPN is also available for iOS. Just remember to disable the geolocation feature when you change your virtual location using the VPN. This can lead to sending conflicting signals to the network and cause unnecessary questions.
5. Avoid employer tracking.
If you are employed but are looking for new jobs using your work laptop or office Internet connection, your employer may find out about it sooner than you planned. Using a VPN can help prevent your current employer from tracking your job search activities. The network administrator will not be able to track your online activities and the system will not pick up any suspicious signals because your traffic will be encrypted.
6. Expand your online business.
If you’re running an online business, you can use a VPN to test how your website or ads appear in different regions. This aids in customizing your marketing plans for certain regional markets. This tool is also useful for analyzing competitors’ websites, gaining valuable insight into their tactics, and enabling you to adjust your own. Often, competing businesses try to ban competitors’ attempts to track their online activities. The more remote VPN servers your provider has available, the more opportunities you will have to bypass such blocking and analyze how competitors’ web resources work in different regions.
By connecting to the right remote server, you can select keywords for SEO in a specific region. In general, the ability to look at the Internet through the eyes of your target user is very important, and with a VPN, it becomes possible even if you are based in one country and do business in another.
Final Thoughts
A VPN is a must-have for anyone who uses the Internet, and especially for anyone who works online. You can secure your online activities and protect your information from prying eyes with a VPN. Apart from work, you will find other uses for this technology in your personal life, such as buying cheaper airline tickets. It’s important to choose a VPN provider with a good reputation in the market and to regularly update your VPN app.