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How to Choose the Right Proxy Server for Canada

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Proxy Server for Canada|How to Choose the Right Proxy Server for CanadaThere may be a situation when you need to check a certain site to see how it looks in Canada. Maybe it’s because in your country it’s banned, and any other location will do. Maybe you specifically need a Canadian mock location to see how the Canadians see a certain page. If you cannot visit Canada in person, you may use a proxy. This is how to choose the right one among popular Canada proxy servers for your activity.

Right Proxies and How to Choose Them

The first question many of us ask when searching for a proxy: free or commercial? If you need to pretend to be a Canadian resident just once, you may be good with one of those free proxies or VPNs that offer their browser extensions and lots of ads. But if it’s a systematic part of your activity, you better choose a commercial service with defined terms and responsibilities. After all, you share your sensitive data with these services: your actual IP address and system data, the sites you visit, and so on.

There are other important details about proxies you should consider:

  • Legal aspects. If your relations are not regulated, it may be risky.
  • Connection speed.
  • Simultaneous connections. A number of them may be necessary for certain jobs, like logging in through multiple test accounts or checking the functioning of your website.
  • Data volumes they offer under various plans.
  • Uptime (which should be at least 99.99%)
  • Setup ease. Usually, you don’t need any extra software to use a proxy on your computer. You just receive the IP address, login and password you enter in your browser or in your network settings. Some providers, though, may offer it a different way.
  • Precise location selection. This is one of the aspects that matter in Canada for website managers and admins, and here is why.

What to Know About Canada When Choosing a Proxy

The main thing everybody knows about Canada is its bilingual status. Two languages are official in Canada, namely English and French. They are both widely spoken but spread unevenly: most French speakers dwell in the Quebec province.

If you are making a multilingual website, and you are concerned about displaying it in the right default language for potential viewers, you should not settle for just checking how it opens in Canada. You better check it from various Canada proxies, at least one in Montreal (or other location where French prevails) and one in Ottawa, Toronto, or any other English-speaking place. Catering to your clients this way will show your attitude.

This is one more reason to use commercial proxies. Free ones usually don’t let you adjust your location that precisely, only offering you to choose the country. With Canada, your business may require more.

The Conclusion

If you appreciate your privacy, security, time, and correctness of the results, a proxy is not a thing to save on. Especially if you run an ecommerce project that requires correct and precise feedback. Accessing sites under a Canadian disguise without the necessity to leave home or hire a Canadian resident is a great advantage provided by proxies. So if your business or everyday activity has something to do with this country, Canadian proxy will ease your life.

Hardware VPNs or Software VPNs? What’s the Best Option?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Hardware VPNs or Software VPNs? What's the Best Option?

When talking about VPNs, you might hear people referring to either “software VPNs” or “hardware VPNs.”

Fancy and interesting terms, but what do they mean exactly?

Well, this quick 5-minute article will tell you everything you need to know about them (including which option would be ideal for you).

What Is a Software VPN?

Software VPN is the app you use to run VPN connections on your device. VPN providers or independent developers create software VPN and make it available on their websites. Pre-installed clients on your operating system also count as software VPN.

I should also mention that VPN software is what VPN providers use on their servers to establish and handle client-server communications. That’s not really of interest to you, but it’s useful info to know.

What Is a Hardware VPN?

Hardware VPNs are devices with dedicated processors that offer VPN, and firewall features. Unlike software VPN, they are completely standalone. That means they can handle every single VPN function on their own.

To give you an idea of how hardware VPNs look like, here’s a good example – the hardware VPN from Zyxel.

Which Type of VPN Is Better Suited for You?

Well, just reading the definitions won’t help you make a decision on the spot, so I’ll compare the two types of VPNs with a focus on user convenience.

Alright, so let’s get started:

1. Software VPNs Are Much Cheaper

Let’s get one thing straight – hardware VPNs are not budget-friendly at all. Just one of them might cost anywhere between $100 and $500. If you’re looking for high-end features, the price can easily go over $1,000.

Sure, you might (emphasis on might) find hardware VPNs that cost less than $100. But don’t expect them to be as powerful as their more expensive counterparts.

And while a cheap hardware VPN can be a good option for your home network, software VPNs are still better price-wise. I mean, at most you’re looking at anywhere between $3 and $9 per month. Usually, the longer the subscription period, the cheaper the price.

Now I know what you’re thinking – if you use software VPNs, won’t you need to pay for tons accounts for all your employees?

Well, not really. Depending on the service you pick, you can get support for multiple simultaneous connections, like six or seven. In fact, some VPN providers might even offer you unlimited connections.

2. Setting Up the Hardware VPN Is No Walk in the Park

If you’re expecting to just buy the thing, set it in your home or office, turn it on, and relax, you’re in for a nasty surprise.

Basically, if you want to set up a hardware VPN, you’re going to need an experienced IT team by your side. You can try to handle everything on your own, but if you make a mistake, you’ll end up with annoying errors and unsecure VPN connections.

Plus, get this; hardware VPNs don’t have the same configurations like corporate firewalls and routers. So, even a skilled IT team might need some extra training to get everything 100% right.

And that’s not all. Once the hardware VPN is set up and running, the job isn’t done. You’ll still have to configure your network to accommodate the new addition. Also, you’ll need at least one dedicated person to monitor the hardware VPN and perform maintenance when needed.

I mean, you can do it yourself, but it’s going to start feeling like a full-time job fast (it pretty much is anyway).

Well, on the plus side, once you handled everything, you get instant remote access whenever you want.

Though, that pales in comparison to software VPNs. You just download and install the client, run it, connect to a server, and that’s pretty much it. Takes just a few seconds at best, or a few minutes at worst.

3. Both Software and Hardware VPNs Offer Good Security

There’s really not much difference between them. Sure, hardware VPNs use dedicated connections, so you could say it’s a bit safer because you’re not sharing the VPN server with tons of other strangers.

But here’s the thing – there are also risks associated with a hardware VPN.

For one, connection errors can pop up if the IT team didn’t properly set up or monitor the device. What’s more, cybercriminals actually prefer targeting hardware VPNs.

With software VPNs, you can at least relax knowing the VPN provider is taking care of everything for you.

4. Business-Wise, Software VPNs Are More Scalable

If you’re running a small business, you get better scalability with software VPNs. If you hire more people, you just have to get some extra subscriptions to cover the new remote connections.

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Hardware VPNs or Software VPNs? What's the Best Option?

With hardware VPNs, things aren’t as simple. You’ll need to spend money on add-ons to support the new employees. And if your company really grows, you’re going to have to just buy an extra hardware VPN (or more), or a new model that supports more connections.

The Bottom Line

Overall, I’d say that there’s no need to use hardware VPN if you’re an average online user. I mean you can do it if you have the money and skills, but let’s be honest – hardware VPNs are more suitable for large companies with very skilled IT teams and large budgets that want dedicated VPN connections.

As a regular Internet user, you’re better off with software VPN. It’s cheaper and easier to set up. Plus, you can even use it for your business to secure your VoIP calls, get around geo-blocks, do SEO research, and encrypt remote employee connections to your network – not to mention save money too.

If you need help to find reliable software VPNs, take a look at ProPrivacy. The website has tons of useful guides, and reviews that will help you make a smart decision.

4 Reasons You Should Think Twice Before Trusting a Free VPN Provider

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |VPN|4 Reasons You Should Think Twice Before Trusting a Free VPN ProviderThere are some free deals you come across that seem to be a real no-brainer and well worth taking advantage of but there are also plenty of scenarios where get something for free may not be the best option for a number of good reasons.

For example, there is a fundamental difference between cheap VPNs and a free alternative that comes with strings attached.

Here are some things to look out for and some reasons to think carefully before being tempted by the offer of a free VPN deal.

When the numbers don’t add up

There is an understandable boom in the VPN market at the moment and it is easy to appreciate why so many people are looking to use a virtual private network when you consider all the security issues attached to going online.

You will clearly want to protect your personal data from hackers and may also want to enjoy the freedom to access and browse sites with the degree of anonymity that comes with connecting via a VPN.

You are putting your trust in your chosen VPN provider to have adequate resources and protocols in place to provide a decent level of security. However, investing in the right hardware doesn’t come cheap and that can often mean a free VPN provider takes shortcuts, making them potentially unsafe to use.

A free VPN could infect your device

If you were tempted to download a free VPN for your Android device, for instance, some estimates suggest that as many as a third of free Android VPN contain malware.

All of a sudden your free VPN deal doesn’t look so good when you are subjected to a ransomware attack and have to spend money resolving the issue.

You are a sitting target for advertisers

Clearly, free VPN providers need to earn money somehow and the preferred route is often to let you have access to the network in return for watching some adverts and being subjected to pop-ups.

There have also been allegations of unacceptable privacy violations through the use of trackers that allow your provider to sell marketing data to a third party.

There might be times when you might be prepared to watch a few annoying ads to get something for free but if a free VPN offers this sort of deal you might want to think twice.

Problems watching your favorite shows

One of the reasons you might decide to use a VPN is because it gives you the chance to stream content that you might otherwise not have any access to if geographical constraints apply.

Being able to watch your favorite Netflix box set wherever you are in the world should be an option when you connect via a VPN but you might discover that a free VPN provider could be taking some of your bandwidth from you.

If you don’t mind interruptions to your viewing caused by buffering issues in return for a free VPN deal you are in the minority.

A lack of bandwidth is definitely a plausible reason why you might want to avoid using a free VPN service. When you also consider the potential security issues and the prospect of being subjected to loads of pop-ups, it doesn’t make the offer as appealing as you first thought.