Website Blocking in the Workplace
The modern employer focuses on efficiency and security in the workplace. To accomplish their tasks with comfort and convenience, workers use computers, assisting software, and other inventions of Information technologies that simplify and digitalize data storage, calculations, and other hardships that would require more resources without their existence.
But the day at work, surrounded by modern gadgets, can be very distracting. While there is an irreplaceable part of IT and the internet that accelerates work output, the web is full of distractions and explicit content – the incredibly addictive modern forms of media that contribute to the waste of company time and damage to its reputation.
To counter these shortcomings, employers use restrictions to block social media and explicit sites in the workplace. However, some companies push the level of control too far, monitoring every decision and every step in the day of an employee resulting in a stressful and uncomfortable work environment.
When website blocking and surveillance in the workplace become unfair, employees use public proxies and VPNs to bypass limitations. These internet privacy tools are intermediaries for a user’s internet traffic, and the additional stop reroutes the connection to bypass blocking. In this article, we will talk about the ways to bypass blocking at work, what are the best tools for the job, and why free proxies and VPNs are not to be trusted. Paid proxy servers from legitimate providers are the way.
Internet privacy enthusiasts buy residential proxies for additional safety and anonymity or use cheaper data center addresses for better performance. Check out the informative blog about residential IPs from Smartproxy – one of the top providers in the industry or buy residential proxies from a provider of your choice. If you are still not sold on paid proxy servers, here are the methods you can use to enter blocked websites in the workplace and why free privacy tools do more harm than good.
Free proxies and VPNs — too good to be true?
Even though these privacy tools are just a few clicks away, we must discuss the influential criteria that make each tool ineffective, dangerous, or both.
Free VPN connections
Let’s start with VPNs, also known as Virtual Private Networks. You must have seen the ads for them on videos of your favorite content creators or banners of many websites. VPNs encrypt and reroute the entire internet connection through a remote network. This is a weakness that makes VPNs a poor choice for workplace anonymity: if all data packets travel through it, you may lose access to some of the tools in the workplace. If you go for free VPNs, used by thousands of people at the same time, the load can make the internet connection too slow to use.
Public proxies
Public proxies seem like the better alternative then, right? You can choose which browsing sessions use the remote server to access blocked websites while the rest of the connections go through the main IP address.
However, the usage of free proxies uncovers a whole array of new problems – cybersecurity threats. Because nobody truly knows who is behind these servers, they are often created as traps to lure in gullible internet users searching for free privacy tools. If the user decides to access websites that use sensitive personal data or connect to company accounts and use the assigned tools, potential criminals can steal this information, harm their safety, and livelihood, or bring damage to the company.
Even if employees manage to elude the danger of public proxies, thousands of people use these addresses at the same time, and the resulting internet speed can be so bad that they will not be able to watch any videos or render social media websites. To make matters worse free proxies are frequently used by potential criminals, which get these addresses banned on many frequently visited websites.
The best option is a reliable proxy provider
Unlike VPNs, proxy servers can be applied to browsers or software while the rest of the internet connection remains untouched. Reliable proxy providers are bound by law to not distribute or use user data, which makes lawful browsing sessions completely private. With the market full of great suppliers, beginners can learn about their strengths and differences and understand why businesses choose premium providers, which are their additional features, before choosing the best, most affordable deal for the individual user.
Among the top providers, Smartproxy and PacketStream offer cheap deals for new users but still deliver in the performance department. With a minimal loss in internet speed and near-perfect connection and response rates, workers no longer need to submit to the tyranny of employers and enjoy the free, private experience. Even better, reliable providers have IPs all over the world, allowing you to connect to websites that are not available in your country, not only in your workplace. Choose the best or cheapest provider to enjoy your favorite websites at work!
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Website Blocking in the Workplace