If you are like most of us, the chances are high that you only have a vague understanding of proxy servers. If you don’t have any knowledge of proxies, there is no better place than oxylabs blog, where everything related to proxies is explained in detail. Generally, people tend to link proxy servers with unblocking Netflix content and other websites that are inaccessible in their area. A bit more tech-savvy individuals would use them or securing themselves while connecting to an open Wi-Fi network. However, the reality is that a proxy server is capable of doing far more things, and can play a crucial role in businesses. Before we focus on the importance of a proxy server for a business, let’s understand what a proxy server is and why should you use a proxy server to run business.
What is meant by a Proxy Server?
A proxy server also called forward proxy, acts as an intermediary between a computer and another server on the internet. It works by hiding the computer’s IP address and instead makes its IP address public. Thus, whenever a web server on the internet communicates with the computer, the proxy server pretends to communicate in place of the computer, thus keeping the IP address of the computer hidden.
Similar to a forward proxy, a reverse proxy helps in securing the servers and databases. Such a proxy acts as a middleman between the server and the outside world. It hides the actual servers by participating in all the communication processes. All the requests made to the web server are routed through the reverse proxy. This way, the actual servers remain hidden and safe.
It is this primary mechanism of a proxy server which proves to be highly useful for businesses and companies in maintaining security and more.
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Benefits of a Proxy Server for Businesses
● Improved business security
Data breaches are on a continuous rise. Such an incident not only proves to be expensive but can also take a toll on your public image. According to an estimate, the records of more than 1,700,000,000 users were released in January of 2019 alone.
This is when you use proxy server to run business and keeping their data safe. A forward proxy server protects devices connected to any network from getting compromised. This server acts as an added layer of security in front of your electronic devices and prevents their IP address from getting leaked.
Similarly, a reverse proxy adds an extra layer of security between the extra traffic and your computer’s servers. This way, even if hackers get access to the reverse proxy servers, they would have a hard time reaching the actual servers.
● Web scraping
Is your company working on important research? Do you need to prevent confidential information from getting leaked? You can ensure the utmost confidentiality and protect your plans and projects from getting leaked with the help of a proxy server.
A business employs a range of techniques to stay ahead of its competitors. Web scraping is a common one used for business intelligence purposes. Here, data from a range of websites is scraped to learn about the competitors.
Using a proxy server helps hide your businesses identity behind a different IP, this way allowing you conduct your research without getting spotted. Market research, pricing and fare aggregation and so much more require proxies to be done well.
Most websites are using protection against bot-like activities on their sites, blocking out any suspicious requests. Using proxies from a trustworthy provider is crucial to work around these hurdles and stay competitive in the market.
● Enhanced internet’s speed and performance
Contrary to the common belief, proxy servers do not slow down the internet speed but boost your connection speed. In addition to boosting the internet speed, they can also help in saving the bandwidth by allowing you to cache web pages and files that need to be accessed by multiple users.
A proxy server can also help you in blocking ads from the websites, thus freeing up the extra bandwidth. This increases the speed of your connection and allows your employees to finish the tasks sooner.
● Controlled internet usage at your workplace
A proxy server, in addition to helping you access the blocked websites, can also help you in blocking certain websites at yourworkplace. You might not want your employees to chill out on social media platforms. Simply use a proxy server to control which websites your employees can visit.
The Wrap Up
We can use proxy server to run business in an array of ways. From keeping them safe online to helping them browse the web anonymously; controlling the internet usage; boosting the connection speed – a proxy server has evolved to become a must-have for small-sized businesses and established companies alike.
What are your views on this? How do you ensure the security of your company online? Let us know in the comments below.
