Last updated on November 18th, 2025 at 12:39 pm
Look, I’ll be honest. I used to believe that VPNs were used by individuals who pirated movies or wanted to avoid Netflix regional restrictions. After that I had seven days to put some business VPN setups to test to work on the small marketing agency of one of my friends, and wow, I was entirely mistaken on what these things actually do.
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Why I Even Started This Test
My friend Sarah is a manager of eight individuals. Two are abroad and half work at home and they are constantly exchanging client information, job descriptions and strategy of the campaigns. She had heard how data breaches are in the news and she asked me: Do we really need a VPN or is it technology paranoia?
So I set up a week-long test. We compared 3 VPN providers to the business and followed what was altered and which of the problems was observed. This is what I got to know about the best advantages of VPN encryption to businesses.
The Data Protection Thing Is Real.
On the first day of testing I had the team of Sarah use a VPN to connect before where they could view their shared drives as well as email. The difference? All the information flowing between their computers and their company data server was encrypted.
That is what that really implies: I was using a packet sniffer (effectively a utility that displays all the traffic flowing on a network) and one of the members of the group was in a coffee shop. Without the VPN? I had glimpses of unencrypted information. With it? Just scrambled nonsense.
VPNs used by business secure all items – client contracts, financial spreadsheets, internal Slack messages. It is as though you cover each file with an untouchable computer package before leaving your computer.
Telecommuting Became as Safe as Can Be.
The actual test was the overseas contractors of Sarah. One has his office in Thailand, another in Portugal. They were using the regular internet connections to access company resources prior to the VPN, which made me very nervous in good faith.
When the VPN was running, they used tunnels that were encrypted. I saw their IPs masked, their whereabouts concealed and all traffic encrypted. It is as though providing remote workers with a direct and private work path directly into your office network irrespective of the physical location of your worker.
The Thai based contractor said that she was much more comfortable working in the co-working spaces now. It was the understanding that VPN encryption was more than merely technical insurance, it is peace of mind.
The Cyber Shield that I have not anticipated.
Day three got interesting. A member of the team has clucked on an obscure link in one of the e-mails (typical phishing attack). Due to the VPN being up and some threats detection features that it had, the connection raised a red flag that it was suspicious and prevented possible malware.
VPNs do not simply encrypt information, they will actually conceal your IP address and keep your business out of sight by hackers who now have difficulty targeting you. Imagine it is having an unlisted phone number. Attackers are not able to issue DDoS attacks, or attempt to steal credentials against addresses they cannot view.
It was an added advantage not to go through Regional Blocks.
This was not supposed to be an issue, but the marketing tools employed by Sarahs team are also geo restricted. The VPN would enable them to have access to world resources and collaborative platforms without accessing regional blocks of the internet.
This is enormous in the case of companies that are going across borders or dealing with multinational teams. You do not need to be limited to the internet guarantee of whichever location you are.
The Cost Thing Surprised Me
My assumption was that VPN encryption of business quality would be costly. It’s not. VPN subscriptions are preposterously inexpensive when compared to the cost of developing hardware based security infrastructure – we are talking 5-15 per user per month among solid providers.
In addition to that, they aid in regulatory compliance. When you are dealing with customer information and must comply with GDPR, HIPAA or CCPA regulations, VPNs can offer the encrypted traffic alongside audit logs that regulators desire to know. It is the only way to avoid huge fines.
My Advice to Other Small Businesses.
In one week with testing, here is my verdict: you have remote workers, deal with sensitive client information, or would simply rest better at night knowing your business is not an easy mark to an attacker – you need a VPN.
Don’t go with free options. I tried one and the result of security threats is not worth it. Use a good provider that has good protocols such as OpenVPN or WireGuard.
VPN encryption has the best advantages to businesses that are not just theoretical. They are practical, now and honestly pretty much necessary in 2025. Sarah’s keeping the VPN. Her team’s keeping the VPN. And if I ever run a business? I am establishing one day one, you bet.
That is what I learned after seven days of real life testing. In different occasions the security tools everybody is hyping about are actually worth the hype.
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I’m a technology writer with a passion for AI and digital marketing. I create engaging and useful content that bridges the gap between complex technology concepts and digital technologies. My writing makes the process easy and curious. and encourage participation I continue to research innovation and technology. Let’s connect and talk technology! LinkedIn for more insights and collaboration opportunities: