There are very few businesses that could successfully function without modern technology. Most often, businesses strive to implement the latest tech innovations ahead of the competition. Currently, 25% of business operations are conducted online via the Internet.
Internet technologies proved to be invaluable both to startups and established brands. A trend that the global Covid-19 pandemic has further accelerated. However, the abundance of tech innovations makes it hard to pick the one required.
This article overviews the importance of proxy servers for business operations. We will dispel some myths and outline proxy benefits for your business operations.
What Is a Proxy Server?
Proxies are an essential part of the Internet structure. They are an intermediary between your device and the Internet, handling online communication. Each proxy server has its unique IP address, which cloaks your original IP providing online security.
When you connect to a proxy server, you send your requests to the proxy instead of the end destination. A proxy server then forwards the requests, receives the results, and sends them back to you. As you will see later, this achieves several goals, from cybersecurity to increased workplace productivity and business data gathering.
Myths About Proxy Servers
There are a few myths regarding proxies that need to be addressed. A common mistake is to think that proxies are only good for bypassing geo-blocking and unlocking Netflix libraries. Even though they are an excellent tool to avoid geographical restrictions, there’s so much more you can do with a fully-developed proxy server.
Another myth is that proxies significantly decrease connection speed. Professional proxies avoid bandwidth throttling and cache files and images, increasing the connection speed. Sometimes a user can experience a slight speed drop depending on proximity to the proxy server, but that’s not always the case.
Lastly, there are many free proxy service providers. However, it would be a mistake to think they offer the same quality. Free proxies often fall behind regarding server security, connection speed, and additional features.
Now that we’ve got misconceptions out of the way, let’s see how your business can benefit from a high-quality proxy server.
Making Data-Driven Decisions
Most successful businesses rely on factual and verifiable data. And the best place to find data is online. Because several BigTech companies abused the practice, data scraping got a bad name. However, data scraping is perfectly legal. When done correctly, it provides valuable insight into the market situation, consumer goods prices, competition, and more.
For example, you want to compare plane ticket prices. You could spend dozens of hours going to each travel agency web page and writing them down manually. Instead, you can use a proxy server with a data scraper to get aggregated results within an hour or less. Proxies make price comparisons much faster and more effective, making them an ultimate business tool.
Remember, you will need regional IP addresses to compare prices from different regions. Pick a proxy service provider that offers servers worldwide.
Workplace Network Management
Unrestricted Internet access is excellent at home. But the same does not apply to the work environment. It’s no secret that employees take some time between tasks to unwind. However, allowing unrestricted Internet access could extend time wasting until it becomes a problem. Moreover, without online limitations, unaware employees could visit malware-infected websites, posing danger to work network security.
Proxy servers can be configured to restrict access to specific websites because they handle online data flow. Business owners deploy proxies to restrict access to social networks, online game sites, and potentially dangerous websites during working hours.
Cybersecurity Benefits
Many businesses face numerous cybersecurity threats. Moreover, the situation worsened during the pandemic due to the mandatory shift to WFH policies. Suddenly cybercriminals could attack home networks to get access to corporate environments. According to statistics, 60% of small to medium businesses do not recover after a data breach.
Each connected to the Internet device has a unique IP address. Exposing this IP address to third parties is risky. Cybercriminals use sophisticated software to track IPs and gather information for further exploits. Moreover, popular DDoS attacks rely on IP addresses. Hackers flood target IPs with traffic until they disconnect from the Internet. It’s a popular way to take down websites that result in severe financial losses.
Proxies obfuscate the original IP address and substitute it with an alternative. It enhances online privacy protection by preventing IP tracking. Moreover, if a proxy server goes down due to DDoS, you can deploy an alternative proxy to take its place immediately.
Final Words
These are the most beneficial proxy use cases for businesses. Additional benefits include ad verification, fraud prevention, social media management, and a farewell to geographical restrictions. It’s an excellent and affordable tool to enhance your business decision-making. We hope this article illuminated how you can benefit from a well-developed proxy server.
Disclaimer: MoneyMagpie is not a licensed financial advisor and therefore information found here including opinions, commentary, suggestions or strategies are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only. This should not be considered as financial advice. Anyone thinking of investing should conduct their own due diligence.
