9 reasons why VPNs are the next big IT trend
Virtual Private Networks, such as VPN with ATT, act as a secure
tunnel that safely connects the user to a remote network across a public
network.
VPNs are not a new technology. But I strongly believe that this
security tool is still very under-used, and that we should soon expect
to see a boom in the use of Virtual Private Networks by both companies
and individuals alike.
Internet-Enabled Devices
We’re now seeing an abundance of cheap computers embedded into everyday appliances. Everything from refrigerators, to security cameras, to electric meters, to tennis shoes. Anything you can think of has already been turned into a Wi-Fi capable computer.
And when you have an explosive growth in computing devices, you’ll also have an explosive growth in the number of potential attacks. Because of their homogeneity, these electronic “appliances” can be attacked in bulk, and used to perform attacks on other systems.
Who knows? In the future, a hacker might break into your toaster and use it to sniff your traffic.
Free Wi-Fi
Today, it seems like every bus stop, coffee shop, hotel, shopping mall, and school is providing its visitors with free wireless Internet access. Now that Wi-Fi enabled portable devices are so common, these free wireless networks are a cheap way to attract customers and enhance the overall shopping experience.
Of course, these wireless networks are usually managed by minimum-wage employees with no network security experience, and they are also a hot target for hackers. In fact, it’s common for hackers to set up their own publicly accessible Wi-Fi hotspots so that they can steal sensitive information by setting up “Man-In-The-Middle” exploits.
Government Spying
Thanks to laws like the Patriot Act, we can no longer depend on the government to protect our right to privacy. In fact, most police officers will tell you that privacy is dead. There’s even currently a lot of debate over whether or not encryption keys and passwords are protected under the 5th amendment.
The current stance of law enforcement is: “If you don’t have anything to hide, then you won’t mind if we snoop around. And don’t videotape the police.”
Since you can’t trust the government to protect your privacy, you have to take extra steps to protect yourself.
Wireless Is The Default
These days, it’s rare to see a home with wired Internet. Almost everyone relies primarily on wireless routers to distribute connectivity throughout their households and offices. Of course, these home routers are rarely secured using adequate precautions. So “war driving” has become a hot trend within the hacking community in recent years. Even within your own home, you need to encrypt all of your online activities.
Mobile Computing
Today, it’s common for most people to work on at least 2 or 3 different computers as part of their daily routine. They’ll work on their laptop at home, they’ll use a tablet when on the road, and they’ll work on their office PC when at work. And often, these various computers will all be accessing the same resources. It’s absolutely vital that all devices – including mobile devices, laptops and desktops – be secured while sending data over the Internet. A breach on your home laptop could potentially affect you when you get to your workplace desktop machine.
The Cloud
Thanks to SaaS and IaaS, the internal office network is quickly becoming a dying animal. Soon, the Internet will be the primary network for nearly every small company. Enterprise systems will be hosted on remote cloud servers, and employees will work from Software-as-a-Service applications. This means that network security will become much more difficult and much more important.
Censorship
Online censorship is no longer just the domain of authoritarian countries like China and Saudi Arabia. Today, even westernized countries like Australia and the United States are beginning to restrict access to web content. And countries like Canada and the United Kingdom are also enacting gag orders which prevent publishers from discussing certain topics.
This kind of censorship becomes especially important in today’s global business environment, where companies will often have employees spread out across many different countries. In order to ensure that they all have consisted access to corporate resources, their network traffic must be re-routed to a location that guarantees them the appropriate Internet access.
Imagine sending one of your sales reps to China for an important sales meeting, only to have them locked out of the CRM system because of their location!
Easier Access To Hacking Tools
Today, it’s extremely easy for teenagers with virtually no network security experience to perform sophisticated hacking attacks. Today’s hacking tools are designed to be simple and easy-to-use, which is a major reason why we’re seeing so many new attacks by online vandals and political activists.
Anonymity
These days, everything you do online leaves a digital footprint about your past. And once you put something on the Internet, it’s very difficult to take it off. Many would say that removing content from the web is like trying to remove milk from your coffee.
By routing your traffic through an alternate path, you add an extra layer of your protection to your anonymity. This will become even more important as sites like Google and Facebook become even smarter when it comes to sucking out every detail of your private life.
- Thanks to VPNs and the abundance of cheap Internet bandwidth, companies no longer have to lease dedicated lines to connect 2 remote locations. Instead, they can establish a secure encrypted channel which can safely transfer data between both locations across the Internet. Companies can even attach business VoIP phone systems to sync up as well.
- Another common use for VPNs would be for laptop users who want to connect to corporate systems from remote networks. These can include coffee shops, airports, hotels and other places where network security might not be the most reliable. In order to gain secure access to servers on the internal network, these employees will need to install VPNs onto their laptops.
Courtesy of Mr_Tommy
Internet-Enabled Devices
We’re now seeing an abundance of cheap computers embedded into everyday appliances. Everything from refrigerators, to security cameras, to electric meters, to tennis shoes. Anything you can think of has already been turned into a Wi-Fi capable computer.
And when you have an explosive growth in computing devices, you’ll also have an explosive growth in the number of potential attacks. Because of their homogeneity, these electronic “appliances” can be attacked in bulk, and used to perform attacks on other systems.
Who knows? In the future, a hacker might break into your toaster and use it to sniff your traffic.
Free Wi-Fi
Today, it seems like every bus stop, coffee shop, hotel, shopping mall, and school is providing its visitors with free wireless Internet access. Now that Wi-Fi enabled portable devices are so common, these free wireless networks are a cheap way to attract customers and enhance the overall shopping experience.
Of course, these wireless networks are usually managed by minimum-wage employees with no network security experience, and they are also a hot target for hackers. In fact, it’s common for hackers to set up their own publicly accessible Wi-Fi hotspots so that they can steal sensitive information by setting up “Man-In-The-Middle” exploits.
Government Spying
Thanks to laws like the Patriot Act, we can no longer depend on the government to protect our right to privacy. In fact, most police officers will tell you that privacy is dead. There’s even currently a lot of debate over whether or not encryption keys and passwords are protected under the 5th amendment.
The current stance of law enforcement is: “If you don’t have anything to hide, then you won’t mind if we snoop around. And don’t videotape the police.”
Since you can’t trust the government to protect your privacy, you have to take extra steps to protect yourself.
Wireless Is The Default
These days, it’s rare to see a home with wired Internet. Almost everyone relies primarily on wireless routers to distribute connectivity throughout their households and offices. Of course, these home routers are rarely secured using adequate precautions. So “war driving” has become a hot trend within the hacking community in recent years. Even within your own home, you need to encrypt all of your online activities.
Mobile Computing
Today, it’s common for most people to work on at least 2 or 3 different computers as part of their daily routine. They’ll work on their laptop at home, they’ll use a tablet when on the road, and they’ll work on their office PC when at work. And often, these various computers will all be accessing the same resources. It’s absolutely vital that all devices – including mobile devices, laptops and desktops – be secured while sending data over the Internet. A breach on your home laptop could potentially affect you when you get to your workplace desktop machine.
The Cloud
Thanks to SaaS and IaaS, the internal office network is quickly becoming a dying animal. Soon, the Internet will be the primary network for nearly every small company. Enterprise systems will be hosted on remote cloud servers, and employees will work from Software-as-a-Service applications. This means that network security will become much more difficult and much more important.
Censorship
Online censorship is no longer just the domain of authoritarian countries like China and Saudi Arabia. Today, even westernized countries like Australia and the United States are beginning to restrict access to web content. And countries like Canada and the United Kingdom are also enacting gag orders which prevent publishers from discussing certain topics.
This kind of censorship becomes especially important in today’s global business environment, where companies will often have employees spread out across many different countries. In order to ensure that they all have consisted access to corporate resources, their network traffic must be re-routed to a location that guarantees them the appropriate Internet access.
Imagine sending one of your sales reps to China for an important sales meeting, only to have them locked out of the CRM system because of their location!
Easier Access To Hacking Tools
Today, it’s extremely easy for teenagers with virtually no network security experience to perform sophisticated hacking attacks. Today’s hacking tools are designed to be simple and easy-to-use, which is a major reason why we’re seeing so many new attacks by online vandals and political activists.
Anonymity
These days, everything you do online leaves a digital footprint about your past. And once you put something on the Internet, it’s very difficult to take it off. Many would say that removing content from the web is like trying to remove milk from your coffee.
By routing your traffic through an alternate path, you add an extra layer of your protection to your anonymity. This will become even more important as sites like Google and Facebook become even smarter when it comes to sucking out every detail of your private life.
Categories:
CLOUD COMPUTING,
CLOUD SECURITY
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