Small businesses in Australia face thousands of data breaches every year. To counter these threats, many small businesses are looking into a virtual private network (VPN) solutions to protect their valuable data.
Beyond data security, there are many positive reasons for Australian small businesses to incorporate a reliable VPN service to their IT security plans.
There are sites available that can compare VPN providers that operate in Australia, such as vpnAlert. This article will discuss the data issues that small businesses in Australia struggle with, and the many benefits that they gain by using VPN services.
Why Australian Small Businesses Need VPNs
Operating a small business in Australia requires an effective solution for the issues posed by cyber attackers and potential data breaches. Smart Company reports that 78% of Australian Small- and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) surveyed claimed that they were targeted in cyber attacks in the past year alone.
On average, these attacks cost around $2.2 million in turns of damage to networks, downtime, and loss of customers and vendors. Small businesses are often targeted in cyber-attacks because the attackers assume that their data security is weaker than that of large, powerful firms.
Cyber attackers also go after small businesses to gain access to a plethora of sensitive data, including:
- Contracts for firms that specialize in utility services
- Legal firms
- Accounting practices
- Customer data
- Financial information
- System access credentials
- Customer account usernames and passwords
To prevent such costly data breaches, Australian small businesses should investigate VPN solutions. Below are several reasons why VPNs are the data security technology that they should include to combat cyber attackers and withstand data breach attempts.
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Global Server Availability
Australian small businesses should research the kinds of global server coverage that Top VPN provides for its users. Small businesses often start in a localized geographical region but often branch out into other areas as the businesses grow and their customer bases increase.
It is even becoming more common for small businesses to gain customers internationally through globalized networks. For this reason, small businesses should find a VPN provider with an extensive list of servers located around the world.
Price
Small businesses are especially concerned with getting the most value out of each dollar and cutting down on operational costs whenever possible. These businesses will want a VPN with the most features but will also have to search for a VPN provider that has affordable subscription options.
They should be on the lookout for price promotions or opt for long-term subscription commitments, which typically come with lower monthly subscription costs when compared to month-to-month subscriptions.
Reliable Connection Speeds
Fast and reliable connection speeds are a business necessity these days.
The VPN that a small business selects must be able to handle any of the business’ connection needs, whether from a business’ lounge area, a hotel room or even from home. The VPN connection must allow for speedy file transfers, instant communication, audio, and video transmissions and other data needs.
Customer Support
Customer support is a vital concern for small businesses, as most businesses could not withstand the fallout caused by a loss of reputation due to data breaches.
This customer support should be very responsive, should respond to the business’ concerns with detailed and accurate information, and should be efficient in solving whatever problems the business has with the VPN service, whenever they are experiencing them.
Privacy Needs
A key need for Australian small businesses is privacy. VPN providers that offer comprehensive privacy protection should be the ones that a small business will want to work with. These businesses will need a VPN that has servers in countries that value privacy protection, offer secure, anonymous payment methods, and do not keep activity logs.
Multi-Platform Support
Small businesses with several employees tend to not have the necessary budget or time to offer standardized devices that their employees can use to conduct their operations.
For that reason, multi-platform support from a VPN provider is a must for many of these companies. With multi-platform support, each small business platform will have its internet connections secured and protected through the VPN service, no matter which type of laptops, smartphones, tablets or other devices that its employees use.
Multiple-Users Capability
While keeping operational costs to a minimum, small businesses must research the capability of including multiple users on the same VPN account simultaneously.
Having several employees access and work from the same VPN account at the same time is much more cost-effective than buying separate VPN subscriptions for each employee. VPNs differ in the number of simultaneous users they will allow on the same VPN account at any given time, so small businesses should seek the most affordable VPN provider with the highest number of simultaneous account users.
Router Support
For an Australian small business to optimize its use of a VPN’s account services, it should look for a provider that allows routers to connect with its services. Working with a router allows a small business to protect multiple, connected platforms on its business network.
VPN providers often regard router connections as just one connection, which leaves multiple other connections open for other employees to use who may be working out of town, out of the country or from their homes.
Conclusion
In today’s age, small businesses in Australia cannot put their business network, virtual assets and proprietary data at risk by leaving their networks unsecured. VPNs offer these small businesses an effective solution to data security threats caused by cyber attackers, such as data breaches, ransomware, identity theft, and phishing attacks.
Small businesses that purchase a VPN can enjoy numerous benefits, such as reliable connection speeds, simultaneous users account access, online privacy and protection for multiple types of internet-connected platforms.
With reliable VPN providers protecting valuable business and customer data, Australian small businesses can focus on providing great products, services, business growth, and higher ROIs.
