As the name suggests, the Virtual Private Network (VPN) hides users’ Internet Protocol (IP) address and their geographical location, and with businesses basing their practices online more and more, using one can help improve security and protect systems from targeted cyber attacks.

With this in mind, here’s how Surfshark’s VPN can help your company improve its security posture.

Encryption and security protocols

Along with being able to hide their IP address and location, users of VPNs also have their personal data hidden, thanks to some sort of encryption system.

Users of Surfshark benefit from their personal data and activity being hidden using our industry-leading AES-256-GCM encryption.

What should define an enterprise encryption strategy?

The impact of the cyber security landscape is changing, with ‘protecting against specific identified threats’ knocking compliance off the top spot as the number one reason for deploying encryption. Read here

256-key encryption is the strongest standard available, and AES-GCM is more secure than other protocol types due to its ability to turn block ciphers into stream ciphers before providing each block with a unique value independently via a keystream.

Additionally, Surfshark customers have a choice of the following three security protocols:

• OpenVPN: This protocol is most suitable for long-distance connections and aimed at desktop architectures. Available on Android, Windows, iOS, Fire TV and Linux, this is an open source protocol, meaning that it is constantly gaining improvements.
• IKEv2: Our Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) protocol is more suitable for close-range connections. Developed by Cisco and Microsoft, this is popular with mobile users, meaning that employees who constantly use mobile devices for work and communication with colleagues may find this to be the best choice.
•  ShadowSocks: Available on Android and Windows, ShadowSocks is designed for users in countries where VPN availability is restricted.

If you’re still in doubt about which security protocol to apply to your VPN, we can choose the best one for you based on your circumstances.

Cleanweb

Another component related to security that our VPN service has is the Cleanweb feature. When activated, this intercepts all pop-up ads, malicious websites and phishing attempts, stopping them from infiltrating your system.

It can be difficult to tell when links are harmful if clicked on, but Cleanweb does the hard work for you and gives you a clean, risk-free canvas to surf the Internet on. This is achieved by only allowing malware-free sites to be accessed.

We at Surfshark constantly keep track of any malicious sites by adding them to a database, which currently has over a million entries.

As for protection from phishing, all malicious links that cyber attackers looking to access your personal or company information send you are blocked.

Protecting your business from phishing scams

While many companies now live in fear of a data breach and the regulatory and financial consequences, they often don’t have any idea how to protect themselves from a phishing scam in the first place. Read here

MultiHop

If your company operates over two different servers in two different countries, you may want to consider our MultiHop feature for doubled up security.

Users just need to select the first country in which a server is present, and then add the second country on top of it.

Connecting to multiple servers at once increases the strength of encryption.

Kill Switch

There is a possibility that our VPN may cut out on you. This can be due to a number of reasons, whether it’s incorrect login details being entered, problems with your server, or inaccurate time and/or date on your device.

In the case that this does occur, however, there is a backup plan for Surfshark customers in regards to security: The ‘Kill Switch‘ feature.

When switched on, this turns off your Internet connection, ensuring that no online traffic passes through unprotected and, perhaps most importantly, any sensitive information that may be present remains secure.

Also, once users turn the Kill Switch on once, it stays activated and doesn’t need to be turned on again.

Protection for nomadic employees

VPNs can also help employees working remotely to protect themselves. The rising number of digital nomads among workforces today frequently find themselves needing to use pubic Wi-Fi hotspots, and without a VPN, this can be dangerous.

The new front line of cyber security is mobility

The insecurity of mobile devices and the vulnerabilities of public WiFi networks remain at an all-time high. Read here

Hackers can easily infiltrate connections between public Wi-Fi connection points and users’ devices and distribute malware, allowing them to access login credentials and other personal data.

But with Surfshark’s VPN service, public Wi-Fi can be used with the peace of mind that comes with all data, including login credentials, being protected, and activity being hidden.

Conclusion

You don’t have to improve your security posture alone. Invest in our VPN service today and experience the benefit of our industry-leading encryption and additional features.