Using a public wireless Internet service is a fact of life when you travel for business.  But no matter how or where you connect to the Internet privacy and safety should be among your biggest concerns.  Connecting through a proxy server makes a lot of sense when using public WIFI networks.  And when you use your work laptop this kind of protection becomes vitally important.  You’ll be able to safely get your work done and protect your personal Internet activities too.

Chances are that you have had to access the Internet in public when trying to conduct business while traveling for your job. Whether you’re trying to work from a convention center, the airplane or a coffee shop you need to know that your computer is as safe as possible.  It is all too easy to expose your company’s servers to malevolent forces when connecting to the Internet in public.  One quick fix for this problem is to use a proxy server.  You can keep close tabs on your important accounts and clients, attend virtual meetings and work on your quarterly budget knowing that your computer is safe.  Taking that easy step before you leave the office will make a huge difference.

Sometimes you might have to go to a country that cracks down on their citizen’s Internet use and the sites people can visit.  You can easily get around those firewalls to stay connected to your family and the home office.   A proxy server is the perfect tool for situations just like this.  Visit whatever sites you want and get all your business done without worrying about who is watching your every click.  Keeping up with current events can be difficult in these countries since they tend to block news sites.  A proxy server allows you to keep up with the market, read industry journals and your hometown paper as well.

When traveling, you probably do more than just work-related business on your company laptop.  Using a proxy server helps keep your personal Internet history private.  You don’t need to change your surfing habits just because you aren’t at home.  You can update your social media sites, send and receive personal emails and manage your fantasy sports teams knowing that no one else knows what you’re up to.  You can keep your private life just that, private.

Using a proxy server is a common-sense move when using the company laptop while away on business.  So often you have to use public WIFI networks to access the Internet.   These are notoriously risky to use and your company’s servers are at risk every time you log on.  You can do all your work worry-free when you use a proxy server.  You can easily break through firewalls in countries that heavily censor Internet use.  Even better, you can hide your personal Internet history from your employer as well as the criminals out there trying to get at your private information.  Your personal surfing history remains safely hidden from everyone when you use a proxy server.

If you want to guard your Internet privacy you want to know what an IP address is.  It is a string of numbers assigned to you by your Internet Service Provider whenever you connect online.

There are certain questions that arise when thinking about an IP address”

Q. Can I be traced through my IP address?

A. Your IP address reveals only the locality and name of your ISP. Your Internet service provider by itself might have records of your PC using their system at such and such a time, but an Internet service provider will as a rule not reveal this information without a search warrant / court order.

Q. How long does an Internet service provider store logs of client IP addresses?

A. No one knows, although it can be somewhere from several weeks to a few years. This is necessary to monitor bandwidth usage.

Q. Someone over the internet has threatened they can find me due to my IP address. Can they do this?

A. Most likely they’re bluffing. Unless you administer your personal server or reside in the same building as your ISP’s headquarters, a stranger can’t locate you using only your IP address.

Q. Can someone find my username or password based mostly in my IP address?

A. No. Your ISP is the single one that is aware these details.

Q. Do my emails show my IP address?

A. Yes. To send email secretly, you’ll want to use an anonymous remailer or an anonymous proxy.

Q. What is a proxy server?

A. A 3rd party server used as a go-between by a customer PC that doesn’t want to attach directly to the world wide web.

Q. Can a proxy server give me internet privacy?

A. Not if it is merely a surrogate server. A simple proxy server will reveal to our online world that it’s acting as a substitute for such and such IP address user (your PC), so you can nonetheless be traced because of it.

Q. What kind of proxy server should I use to be able to surf secretly?

A. You want an anonymous proxy server that is secure, trustworthy and consistent. You will most likely have to pay a fee.

Q. How will an unidentified proxy server guard me?

A. Largely by hiding your actual IP address and blocking malicious scripts and computer programs from entering your system. You might get a different IP address every time you make use of the proxy. Additionally, a number of anonymous proxies allege they can’t reveal your data even if subpoenaed (court ordered) since they don’t save client logs.

Q. Are open proxy servers reliable to use?

A. Not if you are serious concerning your security and privacy. Numerous open proxies are either incorrectly set up, or owned by evil people who want to use your data for their personal ends. Beware of using free proxies and unidentified proxy servers that don’t allocate secure connections. And no matter what server you make use of, always encrypt personal data.