Why do Freelancers and Remote Workers Should Start Using a VPN?

What is a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network provides you with a secure passage for communication when your device is connected to the Internet. When you have a secure connection, then your data is also protected.

You might be curious about how a VPN protects you. A VPN works as an intermediate stop for your package between your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and the Internet.

In the digital world, securing your data is more difficult than ever. 

Network security is essential, most importantly in a workplace that prefers remote workers as you deal with your company’s data from different locations and connect your device to multiple WiFi devices, making your data vulnerable to attack. A VPN is handy here as it conceals your location and IP address, protecting online data from hackers.

How does a VPN help freelancers and remote workers?

As a freelancer or a remote worker, you might find yourself working from various locations – your home, a coffee shop, the library, or even on vacation.

However, great power comes with great responsibility! When you work in an office, you have your own dedicated IT team to ensure that your office network is safe from external digital threats. Things are very different when you work from home as a freelancer or a remote worker. This is where a VPN comes in handy.

Reasons to consider using a premium VPN

Any remote worker or freelancer’s main concern ranges from connectivity issues and data security to secure communication channels. If you work as a freelancer or remote worker and are connected to a client’s server, prying eyes and data harvesters can be a major issue.

Furthermore, sending emails on a daily basis, installing data from a client’s server, and connecting to a company’s network can put client’s data at risk. Furthermore, as a remote worker or freelancer, you are on the verge of installing unauthorized or malicious data in the absence of a security system.

To get around this problem and work securely on a client’s network, consider using a VPN.

Get IP whitelisted to access your client’s network

Whitelisting IPs means allowing specific IP addresses (devices and machines) to talk to your server and blocking every other IP that tries to access your network. So, most companies whitelist IPs to ensure only employees have access to their network or data assets, and blacklist other IPs to block unauthorized access. 

However, even if you’re using a whitelisted IP, chances are your data and client connection are still not secure. This is the most popular and common reason for freelancers and remote workers to use a VPN – especially ones that offer a Dedicated IP. 

As a remote worker or a freelancer, you might need access to your client’s environment, which includes a database, some repositories, a server, etc. A very common and effective security practice is to protect these important assets by only allowing access to them via specific IP addresses. These IP addresses are usually of trusted networks, like the office network, etc. 

With a VPN on your device, you can get yourself a Dedicated IP and share it with your clients or companies you’re working for. The client’s IT or DevOps team can simply add your specific IP to the list of trusted IPs, hence whitelisting, on the assets that you need to access and that’s it! 

This solution is very popular. Here’s why:

1. Simple to implement and compatible with almost all types of assets – database, servers, web based tools like wordpress admins, etc.
2. Doesn’t require the client to make any major changes in their security policies and re-evaluate their risks.
3. Once your contract is over, revoking access is seamless and straightforward. Your clients can remove your IP address (Dedicated IP) from their whitelist.

A non-exhaustive list of different types of freelancers that use this include:

1. Content writers who need access to WordPress Admin Panels
2. Developers who need access to development environment and assets
3. Consultants who need to access to internal company dashboards

How to Whitelist IP addresses using PureVPN?

If you’re running a website or server, you may want to whitelist IP addresses to ensure that only authorized users can access your site. PureVPN makes it easy to whitelist IP addresses using our VPN service.

For individuals

• Get a Dedicated IP from PureVPN and get it whitelisted by your client
• Login to PureVPN’s desktop applications – Windows, Mac, or Linux and connect via your dedicated IP

For organizations

• Get a business IP address from PureVPN and get it whitelisted by your organization
• Connect to the internet using this IP address for all your devices
• Ensure that all devices in your organization are using this IP address

Once you have a whitelisted IP address for both individuals and organizations, you can use it for all your internet activities. Do not use any other IP addresses, as this may get your IP address blacklisted. All you have to do is use PureVPN to change your IP address.

Get a Dedicated IP from PureVPN from your nearest location and get it whitelisted by your client 

Login to PureVPN’s desktop applications – Windows, Mac, or Linux and connect via your dedicated IP.

Can I Use a VPN for Upwork? 

Upwork is a popular freelance platform allowing the company’s clients to interview and work with freelancers. It is a flexible way of increasing a company’s productivity. Since more employers are switching to remote work, it is more secure to use a VPN with Upwork.

But does Upwork allow its users to have a VPN? 

Upwork has no problem with freelancers using a VPN. However, if your account is connected with inconsistent IP Addresses, it can get flagged. To access it back, Upwork will do verification to confirm your identity. It can happen multiple times and might make you stop using a VPN.

But we have a solution for it. A VPN with dedicated IP. It provides a fixed IP address to prevent your account from getting flagged with a secure connection.

Here’s how we can help?

If your whole team is working for the client, managing their access to the client’s assets securely can be a pain. PureVPN gives you multiple options to safely manage it.

• For small teams (1 to 5 members), you can buy a separate Dedicated IP for each member of your team and share access with that members only.
• For large teams (5 to 50), you can buy the team plan with Dedicated IP that can be shared with your whole team. You can simply ask your client to whitelist this one IP and that’s it. Now, to control which of your team members can access it, you can easily add/remove members in your team from the admin console.
• If you are working with multiple clients at a time, you can securely connect to each clients’ assets.
• Either create a separate team IP for each client or simply buy a separate dedicated IP for each client.

Enable API calls or webhooks

Another reason you might need a VPN is to receive webhooks from 3rd party services like Stripe, Twilio, or Paypal to speed up your development time. This is best suited only for developers.

To integrate these services, you need a URL on which you can receive their notifications when, for example, a payment is made. Since most people do not have a dedicated incoming address or the Port Forwarding rules set up to allow them, the code has to be deployed on a web server for testing. 

This slows things down for the developer as he has to acquire and deploy changes on the server in order to test anything. With a VPN that supports a static IP and port forwarding, developers can securely receive the notifications directly on their system and increase their productivity!

Use VoIP services

Using a VPN with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can add an extra layer of security to your communications if you’re using a public WiFi network. For instance, a VPN can help keep your data safe from prying eyes, data harvesters, and surveillance agencies. And if you’re worried about government surveillance, a VPN can help encrypt your communications so they can’t be eavesdropped on.

Of course, using a VPN will add some overhead to your VoIP traffic, so it’s crucial to choose a fast and reliable VPN service. But if security is your main concern, a VPN is worth considering.

For more information on choosing a VPN, check out our article on the best VPNs for VoIP. And for step-by-step instructions on setting up a VPN with VoIP, check out our guide to using a VPN with VoIP.

Protection of public WiFi

If you often work from coffee shops or other public places, a VPN can help keep your data safe. This is because public WiFi is often not secure, making it easy for hackers to access your data. You can encrypt your connection and protect your data by using a VPN.

Here’s the breakdown of what happens when you are using a VPN: 

When you connect to the internet via a VPN, your traffic is routed through a private tunnel. This makes it much more difficult for someone to snoop on your activities or steal your personal information. Additionally, a VPN can help enhance your online privacy by hiding your actual IP address and making it harder for third-party websites to track your activity.
Overall, using a VPN is a great way to stay safe and secure when using public WiFi networks. By encrypting your data and hiding your IP address, you can protect yourself from various online threats. So if you’re ever using public WiFi, be sure to connect to a VPN to keep your information safe.

Safe transactions

A VPN provides safe transactions by encrypting data sent between your device and the VPN server. This prevents anyone from eavesdropping on your traffic and stealing sensitive information, like passwords or credit card numbers. 

Additionally, a VPN can help prevent malicious actors from spoofing your IP address and launching attacks against you or your company. By using a VPN, you can ensure that your confidential data remains private and secure.

How to Use a VPN for Remote Working at Home

A VPN is the best way to protect your online data from cybercriminals. If you work from home, using a VPN is necessary for you. Here are the steps on how you can set up a VPN for remote working from home:

1. Select a VPN service provider and subscribe to it (we recommend PureVPN)
2. Download the VPN extension for your desktop or VPN app for your mobile devices.
3. Login to your account.
4. Connect to a server of your choice.
5. Now you can do remote work securely with VPN.

Use Dedicated IP based on your team members

If you’re a freelancer, you might not need the same level of security as a large company. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your online safety seriously. To help you out with your everyday tasks and client communication, PureVPN offers several plans designed specifically for freelancers.

For small teams of <5 people, you can buy a separate Dedicated IP for each member of your team and share access with that members only. This way, you can be sure that only the people you want accessing your VPN can do so.

For teams of 5 or more people, you can buy the team plan with dedicated IP that can be shared with your whole team. You can ask your client to whitelist this one IP, and that’s it. Now, to control which of your team members can access it, you can use databases.

Frequently Asked Questions

Thought of the day

Using a VPN for remote access and freelancing is the best bet. With better speed and low pings you are also more secure. Even if you are at a place where your access is a bit difficult or your IP address is banned, your work never gets stuck.