The history of the creation of VPN

The history of VPNs

For as long as the Internet has existed, there has been a need for protocols to keep data private and secure. The history of VPN (virtual private network) technology dates back to 1996, when a Microsoft employee developed the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, or PPTP. Effectively the precursor to modern VPNs, PPTP creates a more secure and private connection between a computer and the Internet.

With the rise of the Internet, demand for more sophisticated security systems arose. Antivirus and related software could be effective in preventing damage at the end-user level, but what was really needed was to improve the security of the connection itself. That’s where VPNs came in.

A VPN is a private connection over the Internet. It is a broad term that encompasses several different protocols, which will be explained in detail later. What they all have in common is the ability to remotely connect to a private network through a public connection.

Initially, VPNs were used almost exclusively for business. However, the wave of high-profile security breaches that occurred in the early 2000s was a pivotal moment in the history of VPN technology. With this, everyday internet users realized the true risks of working online and started looking for safer ways to do it.

Today, VPNs are used to secure internet connections, prevent malware and hacking, ensure digital privacy, unblock geo-restricted content, and hide users’ physical locations. Easier to use and more affordable than ever, a VPN is an essential tool for staying safe online.

What is the purpose of VPN?

The purpose of VPN is to create a private connection between various people and devices over the Internet. In effect, it’s an Internet within an Internet, secure, private, and encrypted from prying eyes, malware, hackers, and anyone else who wants to know where you’re browsing or from.

VPN technology has been around for decades. Originally created for large corporations, it was never intended to serve the multiple purposes for which it is used today. The need at that time was great. Businesses, organizations, governments, and many others with sensitive information risked hacking or other data loss by using open Internet connections. They needed to make connections that were much more secure than average so that remote users, satellite offices, and field operatives could access and use company files without letting their secrets slip. The solution they derived is VPN.

VPN is like having a local network, a network where devices are directly connected to each other without the need for the Internet, except for using the Internet to make the connections. In addition to tunneling protocols that establish secure connections that hide the source, high-level encryption standards ensure that even if data is lost, it will never be used by anyone who doesn’t intend to have it. The benefits of VPNs for individual internet users were clear from the start, and that spawned the modern rush to provide the best VPN technology. Over the years, the advancement of VPNs has been fueled by the encroachment of censors around the world and the endless lure of hackers to access any device and connection they can.

Censorship and geo-restriction is one of several issues plaguing the internet that are driving innovation in VPN technology. The history of censorship varies from case to case, but includes things like social media blocks, incomplete access to online media catalogs (note the US Netflix catalog versus what’s available to the rest of the world). world), monitoring of user activity, monitoring of emails or absolute denial of Internet access. The VPN story has progressed hand in hand, overcoming each problem as it arises and generating demand from the web-browsing public.