In the digital world, our technology is an extension of ourselves. Our personalities, friendships and much more are on the internet and in the cloud, especially for small businesses. In many cases, the small business owner blurs the lines between personal and professional, using social media to reach potential clients as well as existing customers. 

Although most of us are comfortable with certain information being public, we usually don't reveal private information — and we'd like to keep it that way. But the House of Representatives recently voted to repeal internet privacy protections put in place by the Federal Communications Commissioner under the Obama Administration. The Trump administration, which has signaled its support in the past, signed the bill, effective April 3. 

No matter your comfort level with technology, a virtual private network (VPN) mitigates the chance of your data being breached. For security concerns, everyone who uses the internet — from private citizens to businesses of any size — should add a VPN to keep private information private. In the age of "bring your own devices" when confidential business data may be accessed from a personal computer or a company-owned device, it's important to keep cyber security top of mind.

What does a VPN do?

A VPN creates a secure connection over the internet between your computer, smartphone or tablet and whatever you're browsing or the app you're using.