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Coronavirus Outbreak Prompts VPN Use Surge due to Rise in Remote Working

 

There has been a huge spike in business VPN usage due to the Covid-19 Corona outbreak. This is has been influenced by companies asking more people to work from home in a measure to handle the COVID-19 outbreak. This move makes it more necessary for employees to secure their remote networking. 

Current statistics from Planet FreeVPN, a VPN provider, indicate more than 150% growth of global VPN usage since March 11.

In a business setting, a VPN makes it easier for employees and colleagues to share information through corporate networks. This means they can send and confidential documents, data, and applications from anywhere in the world. In this case, they are doing it from the comfort of their homes. 

Such growth can be attributed to many governments around the world asking people to work from home. The directive has been made necessary in a move to mitigate the spread of the virus which has seen thousands die in the past few weeks. Additionally, people living in countries with mandatory lockdown have no option than to work from home. Such a situation makes it necessary for them to use VPN services. 

Among the countries which have experienced the biggest growth in VPN usage for businesses is the Netherlands. This has resulted in a more than 230% surge in VPN usage followed closely by Austria and Canada which have seen a 208% and 206% growth respectively.

To ensure your security and privacy, we recommend that you always use a VPN

Countries such as France, Denmark, and Belgium have experienced significant growth in VPN usage as well. The growth in these three countries ranges from 180% to 190%. Spain has also experienced significant growth in NordVPN Teams Business services by a 95% hike. 

The US and UK have not been left behind in VPN usage. However, they recorded fewer numbers of VPN usage at 66% and 48% respectively. This is expected to change. 

While the numbers in VPN usage for business are high, there is still more room for growth as governments around the world take more stringent measures to fight the virus. This means that as the Coronavirus thrives, companies will be required to ask more people to work from home. Therefore, VPN companies should invest their resources in making sure that their services are not only secure but also up to date. 

Given that the COVID-19 outbreak is the first pandemic in decades, most people have not had the experience of working remotely. This creates an avenue for malicious people to hack and compromise with the security of networks. The hacks could lead to catastrophic losses for business which are already feeling the strain from this pandemic.
 

However, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has provided helpful information on using VPN services and remote working in a move to help businesses and employees maintain their security against cyber-attacks. 

The advice provided involves having a strong password and using multi-factor authentication to secure sensitive information. Such measures make it harder for cybercriminals from attacking and compromising business accounts. Additionally, the European Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) has offered the same advice for people working from home.