A virtual private network (VPN) has its origins in the development of more secure ways of communicating online. ARPANET was an early adopter of the idea of connecting remote computers in the 1960s. In response to rising worries about the safety and privacy of internet users, more reliable and advanced VPN technologies began to appear in the late 90s and early 2000s.

The Basics of VPN Importance

Using a virtual private network (VPN) has many benefits for anyone who is looking for a more secure, private, and reliable online experience. VPN protects users from prying eyes and makes their online activities and location invisible. You can check out the best deal on NordVPN Mike Ward’s offer, for instance, and enjoy the safe online experience that this tool can give you. Also, if you want to access information that is restricted or only available in certain regions, you can do so with more freedom and privacy thanks to a VPN.

ARPANET

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) found a technique to connect faraway computers in the late 1960s. This technique, dating from 1969, could transmit data packets between computers and it was based on packet switching. In the 1970s, this network expanded to link many universities and other research centers. It was based on the NCP protocol, which restricted access to machines on the same network. So, it was quite challenging to figure out how to link devices that were on different networks.

The Public’s Introduction to the Internet

What is nowadays known as the Internet was born out of a shift away from NCP and toward a system that could support connections from many devices. The Domain Name System (DNS), which translates common web addresses into numerical ones, came into existence in 1984. The internet opened its doors to the general public when IP and DNS were set up. Chat rooms and online communities first appeared in 1985, since users could connect to America Online by dial-up, which required them to phone their ISP. There was actually a need for commercial ISPs, and since the internet was growing, it offered a chance to do so. ‘The World’, one of the first commercial ISPs, enabled a dial-up internet connection in 1989.

Early VPN technologies

With the advent of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) in the early 1990s, the World Wide Web was born, allowing users to access online content using hyperlinks. This required users to be able to communicate securely online as the digital world expanded much beyond academic circles. And, this was the cornerstone of the modern VPNs, the development of IP-layer encryption.

The Popularity of VPNs

Online security saw a dramatic transformation in the 2000s. Problems and risks grew bigger as the internet became a huge space with so many people all around the world connected to it. Here is where virtual private networks (VPNs)have become an indispensable tool for both people and companies, as they guarantee online privacy and security. In the middle of the 2000s, hackers started targeting public networks, especially in airports and cafes. So, people were desperate for something that would be specifically designed to help them be safer on the internet. And then, in 2005, the first commercial VPNs emerged, which were quite user-friendly without too complex setup processes. At the end of the decade, they have become almost a must, which prompted more third-party VPN providers like SSTP and IKEv2/Psec.

Digital Transformation

More and more everyday operations found their place online, so there was a growing need for robust security in the 2010s. In response, VPN companies expanded their services and included new features like kill switches, multi-hop connections, and no-logs policies. This resulted in improved connection speeds and more user-friendly designs. Many companies also recognized the significance of secure networking. The need for reliable and extensible company network connections led to the rise of solutions such as SD-WAN and SASE.

Modern Day and Age

We all remember how almost everything shifted online during the COVID-19 pandemic, including education, jobs, and even our communication with our family and friends. This is where the importance of VPNs has been highlighted. With the addition of virus protection, multifactor authentication, and more server capacity, VPN services for remote access have become more secure. A VPN with remote access has long been standard equipment in business networks. Companies’ security and networking needs are constantly growing because there are more and more cloud services they are adopting. So, there is a need for VPN services to follow these trends and adapt to the changing needs of modern society and online security.

VPN encrypts user data and hides their IP addresses to keep customers safe online. If you want to protect your online identity, location, and browsing history, a VPN can give you more freedom and privacy. From the first time it originated back in the 1980s up to the modern day, this technology has seen many changes and improvements, and it still does so to adapt to modern needs and fluctuations.