Part III on the NETPRAETOR.com overview of the nine main categories of information technology which have the most impact on end user data privacy and data security through daily use.
Best VPN Service Providers
Assuming you’re running an operating system which has been configured for enhanced security and reduced data leaks, along with a password manager for strong and unique passwords, a virtual private network (VPN) provided by the best vpn service providers are the next logical step towards protecting your data and your privacy.
The best VPN service providers offer a type of VPN, where your computer connects to a series of linked servers using an encrypted tunnel. The connected servers form a virtual private network forming a secure and private means for data to travel. How VPN works, along with it’s features, benefits, and levels of privacy are dependent upon the policies and word of the companies who own them.
Among the best VPN service providers, there are a multitude of companies who market their VPN service as being the best VPN service provider available. In order to determine which VPN service provider actually is the best, certain criteria needs to be established in order to see how each VPN service provider compares against the rest.
To see how VPN works, NETPRAETOR.com believes the following criteria broken down by purpose and feature, are paramount when evaluating a the best VPN service providers.
Best VPN Service Provider Purpose:
I. Increased data privacy
II. Increased data security
III. Connection speed and reliability
IV. Multiple devices supported
Best VPN Service Provider Feature:
I. Maintain a no log policy
II. Use the latest encryption standards such as OpenVPN
III. Offers consistent speeds with good connections over a vast network
IV. Allows use of more than one device per account
The best VPN service provder will increase end-user privacy by operating servers that don’t log user activity. Many people choose to use a VPN service from home for this reason and not just while traveling. Almost all internet service providers (ISP) log customer internet activity. A VPN which logs customer activity would essentially take the place as a new ISP and defeat the purpose of enhancing end-user privacy.
With no logs as a starting point, anyone searching for a VPN service can automatically rule out VPN’s that are advertised as completely free. It would be naive to think that a free VPN service is not selling its users data for profit as ISP’s do. That being said, some good VPN service providers who offer paid plans do offer a scaled down free service in order for prospective customers to try the service.
Having the foundational criteria of the best VPN service provider with a no logs policy established, the next question relates to the encryption protocols offered for data security. The two main protocols that a good VPN service will offer are called OpenVPN and IKEv2. OpenVPN is a completely open source encryption protocol that provides reliable and secure encryption tunnels. The OpenVPN protocol is best suited for desktops and laptops due to its reliability and speed on a static network.
IKEv2 is a closed source encryption protocol which also provides reliable and secure encryption tunnels. However, the IKEv2 protocol is best suited for tablets and mobile devices such as vpn on iPhone. This is due to the IKEv2 protocol being more resilient to mobile device transitions from wireless networks and cellular service. IKEv2 has proven more reliable at maintaining a connection under these network transitions than OpenVPN.
Only the best VPN service provider will also maintain a global network of servers for reliability and speed. A major reason to subscribe to a VPN service is to protect data while traveling and having to use unsecured and untrusted networks. Being able to login to a server close to where you’re traveling can help with overall speed. Alternatively, being able to login to a server in another country could help bypass country restricted content from entertainment providers like Netflix and Hulu. Finally, with most people owning multiple devices a good VPN service will allow for multiple devices to simultaneously use one account.
With that criteria in place, NETPRAETOR.com recommends two best VPN service providers, NordVPN and ProtonVPN. Both companies meet and exceed the purpose and features of increased privacy, increased security, speed, reliability, and support for multiple devices. As expected, they both charge fees for the quality services they provide. Also, both VPN service providers operate from countries known for their end-user privacy centric laws. Respectively, NordVPN is based in Panama, while ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland.
Check out their details below!
Fast speeds with 5200+ servers in 59 locations;
- Privacy – strict no logs of user activity;
- 6 simultaneous connections;
- Streaming –unblocks Netflix, Hulu, etc.;
- Torrenting/P2P allowed;
- ParagraphBuilt-in ad and malware blocking;
- Works in China (if the case);
- Easy-to-use VPN apps;
- Specialty servers like Onion over VPN, Double VPN;
- 24/7 live chat;
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
610 servers in 44 countries;
- Secure core – traffic routed through privacy-friendly countries
- Perfect forward secrecy prevents traffic being decrypted
- Swiss Based
- No-log policy
- Torrenting/P2P allowed;
- Up to 10 devices
- P2P Support
- Unlimited bandwidth
