Now, more than ever, people are taking advantage of the availability of public Wi-Fi hotspots. A frightening truth, that some Wi-Fi users are not aware of, is that almost everything you do while on a public network can be seen my snoopers. When we say alomost everything is visible, we include webpages viewed over an unencrypted connection, plain text emails that are sent, and sometimes even password information. Websites that use secure connections, however, are much more difficult for snoopers to view. To be sure the connection is secure, look for "https" in your web address bar, instead of "http." Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo!, Microsoft Live, and some others, all use a secure method to ensure your login information remains private.
What if you want to access a work computer or server remotely? This is
why Virtual Private Networking (VPN) is essential. VPN creates a secure
“tunnel” which connects your laptop to your business' private network. All
information that passes through this "tunnel" is encrypted (captured data would appear to snoopers as
gibberish!).
VPN treats your portable devices like they are physical nodes on your company’s in-house
network, even though they're in a different location. This grants access to files on the server, company
databases, and sometimes even printers. Remote desktop capabilities may be included in your VPN service; these allow you to run applications on your work computer as if you were physically at your work station. Additionally, VPN technology is
user-friendly and provides a high level of security. It’s a "Must
Have" if you have ever or plan to access your company’s network remotely in any location--even from home.
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