A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is technology using hardware, software, or both to secure and privatize data across a network, usually the Internet, by building what techies call an “encrypted tunnel.”
Data passes through this “tunnel,” protected from anyone who tries to intercept it. Large businesses commonly use VPNs between offices to secure company data, and often provide individual “remot
e access” VPN solutions to home-based or traveling employees to protect data between them and the company’s network. You also use a VPN when you bank or shop online and see the https:// in your web browser. Unfortunately, the protection with an https:// session is temporary and limited to that specific website.