The online world can be a seriously dangerous place, with hackers, viruses, and surveillance software absolutely everywhere. We’re not trying to worry you, but have you ever considered just how much of your personal data is exposed to this sort of thing whilst you’re browsing? If not, you probably should. You might be surprised.

Your personal data is seriously valuable stuff these days, and everyone is looking to get their hands on it. Once you come to understand that the internet is insecure, it’s perfectly normal to feel a little concerned about how much of your data is up for grabs. There’s no need to panic though, because there is a simple and effective way that you can stay protected.

To stay safe online, and keep all of your data and personal information secure, you should invest in a VPN.

What is a VPN?

VPNs provide protection for your data and identity by creating a private network that hides your real IP address. All of your activity is untraceable and secure because everything passes through an encrypted tunnel.

VPNs create a private network that hides your real IP address.
Credit: Pexels

Nobody can see into the tunnel, and everything inside is protected against online threats. This means that hackers, governments, and your internet service provider will be unable to access any of your information.

Do you really need to invest in a VPN?

We’ve already covered the fact that investing in a VPN is one of the best ways to ensure your safety and anonymity online. VPNs are vital tools in the fight against scammers and cybercriminals, but there’s another reason you might consider these security services. And it has nothing to do with security.

VPNs can be used to unlock streaming services from around the world, including the likes of Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+. How do they do this? It’s actually a really simple process, and it can significantly boost your content options. All you need to do is open up your preferred VPN, connect to a server from another country in order to spoof your IP to another address, and then head to your preferred streaming site. This process tricks the site into thinking you are based in another country, meaning you can watch all that great content that is normally blocked.

So VPNs are really useful for cybersecurity and streaming, which means they should be a worthwhile investment for just about everyone.

What are the most important features in a VPN?

Choosing a VPN that is right for you is not easy, because there are a lot of options all offering similar packages. To make your life a little easier, we have highlighted a selection of the most important things to consider before making any sort of decision:

Connection speed: This is absolutely vital whether you’re looking to use a VPN for online security or streaming. It’s normal for a VPN to result in a drop in your connection speed, but you shouldn’t accept anything significant.

Encryption: We know that a lot of people will be using VPNs for streaming, but these services are primarily designed to provide cybersecurity, so encryption is important. The best VPNs will offer powerful protection for your data, meaning that everything is unreadable and untraceable.

Number of connections: You should seek out a VPN that offers multiple simultaneous connections, so you can stay protected on all your devices at the same time. This is also beneficial for large families or households with multiple people likely to be online at the same time.

Privacy policy: The best VPNs should be very clear about how they handle, store, and use your data. These practices should be laid out in a privacy policy, and if they aren’t super clear, you should look elsewhere.

Browse, shop, and stream securely with a VPN.
Credit: Pexels

Server network: The best VPNs provide access to thousands of servers located all around the world. This is useful as you should always be able to find a stable and speedy connection for streaming, shopping, or browsing.

There are plenty of other things that are worth considering, like bandwidth, apps for certain operating systems, and customer support, but these are probably the most important features to keep in mind.

What is the best VPN?

There are a lot of VPNs out there, and we recommend taking some time to carefully access all your options. Once you have established exactly what you need, you can turn your attention to finding the best deals on all the top VPNs.

We have reached out to partners in order to line up a list of the best deals on the most popular providers, to help you save big. You can find all the best deals on the likes of ExpressVPN, NordVPN, PureVPN, and more.

These are all the best VPN deals in July 2021.