Do you own one of the more than 32 million small businesses situated throughout the country? If so, you’re likely going to need to invest in a VPN and a VPS for your company at some point.
Far too often, though, small business owners make the mistake of thinking that a VPN and a VPS are the same things. This couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Outside of the fact that VPN and VPS both have a “V” in them, they’re two different things. It’ll make it important for you to understand the differences between a VPN vs VPS.
So, what is a VPN, what is a VPS, and what sets them apart? We’re going to break it down for you today so that you know what makes VPNs and VPSs different.
Continue reading to learn about all the differences between a VPN vs VPS in our VPN and VPS guide.
What Is a VPN?
Under normal circumstances, every move that you and your small business employees make while you’re online will be tracked by the websites that you visit. They’ll be able to keep tabs on you by using the IP address that is assigned to you by an internet service provider, which is better known as an ISP.
A VPN, which is short for virtual private network, will make it impossible for these sites to track you. It’s a network of dedicated servers that is specifically designed to allow you to surf the web anonymously through a secure internet connection.
A VPN can help to reduce the chances of your small business ever coming under attack by hackers. It’ll also prevent anyone from knowing what you and your employees are doing when you’re online.
You can use a VPN to stay safe on your company’s computer. You can also utilize something like this VPN for iOS if you’re concerned about the security of those who access the internet on their smartphones while they’re at work.
How Does a VPN Work?
If you would like to use a VPN to protect your small business, you will need to begin by getting your hands on the best VPN software. Some of this software will be free, but you should be prepared to splurge on VPN software to provide yourself with the most possible protection.
Once you’ve obtained VPN software, you’ll need to start it up on the computers and smartphones that you use for your small business. This software will begin to encrypt your data from the start, and then it’ll connect you to a VPN server that can help you surf the web anonymously.
When you visit a website, it won’t be able to access your IP address anymore. Instead, it’ll sense that you are coming from a VPN server and gather information from it. This information will not be directly tied to you or your small business.
What Is a VPS?
Now that you know what a VPN is, let’s get into talking about what a VPS is. As you’ll quickly see, a VPS is much different than a VPN.
VPS is short for virtual private server, and it’s essentially a computer that is used to run different types of software on behalf of a small business. More often than not, a VPS is utilized to host a website for a small business, but it can also be utilized to host apps and other important services.
A VPS will be online at almost all times except when it isn’t being used. It will also have a dedicated operating system on it that you will be able to access to tinker with the software that your small business is running at any point in time.
How Does a VPS Work?
If you ever decide that you would like to use a VPS for your small business, you will need to begin by having it set up. A company can come in and create a VPS for you that will provide all the memory that you will need.
From there, you’ll need to decide what exactly you’re going to place on your VPS. You can have a VPS host your website for you, or you can choose to put software, apps, etc. on it.
No matter how you decide to set up your VPS, it’s going to keep everything that you put on it protected. It’s also going to prevent your small business from having to share server space through some other kind of setup.
What Are the Differences Between a VPN vs VPS?
After hearing about VPNs and VPSs, it should be pretty easy to see just how different they both are. A VPN and a VPS will serve different purposes when you invest in them for your small business.
A VPN is going to allow you to use the internet through your small business without being tracked. A VPS, meanwhile, will enable you to host your website or use software easier than you would be able to otherwise.
Keep the differences between a VPN vs VPS in mind when you’re considering obtaining one or the other. It’ll help you pick out the right option for your small business.
Start Looking For the Best VPN and the Best VPS for Your Small Business
It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world for your small business to spend some money on both the best VPN and the best VPS that you can find. VPNs and VPSs are great tools for those in the business world.
Just make sure that you remember what sets a VPN vs VPS apart. It’ll ensure that you’re able to select the right one to meet your specific needs.
Discover more about some of the other business products and services that you should be investing in by browsing through our other blog articles.