3.1.5
Evaluate the use of a VPN.
Teaching Note:
S/E, AIM 9 The use of a VPN has led to changes in working patterns.
Sample Question:
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JSR Notes:
This assessment statement is for sure, at least about the implications of using a VPN, as seen by the Teaching Note, so:
General Implications of VPNs to society:
Benefits:
- Remote accessibility allows people to work home, or on the way to work, so a potentially more efficient economy.
- Less need for people to congregate and have real person to person contact (but with negative societal impacts.)
Issues:
- The societal impact of having less face-to-face human interaction, at least at work.
- The potential illegal uses of VPNs in which people can attempt to hide what they are doing.
Specific Implications of VPNs to businesses/organizations:
Benefits:
- The main benefit is added security. Particularly when traveling, an employee needs to know that the data they are sending and receiving is secure.
- (Hackers tend to prey on unsuspecting people in coffee shops, hotels and airports, but a VPN provides the security to stop them.)
- So able to fully work without fear of data interception.
- And at a corporate scale, it helps prevent industrial espionage.
- Increased efficiency by some employees/members, if taking advantage of the time they commute to work, to work on the metro, for example.
- Less expensive than building a physical WAN.
- Less facilities/office space needed if people working significant amounts at home.
- Employees may be able to work around jurisdiction firewalls, and firewall in general. For example, a business in China can work around the "Great Firewall of China".
Issues:
- Less efficiency by some employees/members because of distractions at home while trying to work.
- Less person-to-person contact, and so more inefficient since group work is less rich.
- Interpersonal problems are harder to resolve.
- Certain illegal activities are easier.
Specific Implications of VPNs for individuals:
Benefits:
- After the birth of a child, the stay-at-home mom or dad can transition back to work from home.
- Allows for a much more healthy work environment, in which, at home, a person can go out for fresh air and a walk etc. very easily.
- On-line commerce can now occur without people worrying about theft of credit card information etc.

Issues:
- People can do more easily things which they later regret, or which are against their morals, through the temptations that the inherent privacy of VPNs can provide.
- People can become much more anti-social, since they no longer have to work at the office etc.
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This assessment statement can actually be taken two ways. From the Teaching Note, it seems to be more geared toward a general assessment of the changes in work patterns. But from the assessment statement itself it could be interpreted as evaluating ***a particular*** VPN, such as:
- Express VPN vs. PureVPN
- or Express VPN/PureVPN etc. vs. a full corporate VPN suite, complete with PPTP server
For these comparisons, you could the following criteria:
|
Product X
For example Logmein.com |
Product Y
For example HideMyAss.com |
Security (Trusted vs. Secure) |
"Secure", not just "Trusted |
|
Price (and or cost/benefit) |
|
Cheaper |
Ease of use |
|
Easier to use |
Speed of connection & data upload/download speeds |
same: good |
same: good |
Compatibility with current systems/computers
(Mac/PC for example) |
same: good compatibility |
same: good compatibility |
Scalability
(how easily can it be expanded or used to a greater extent?) |
same: not scalable |
same: not scalable |
Note that for your Mac computer, the Opera browser has some great privacy features, including a built-in VPN:

My own evaluation of using the Opera VPN would go something like this:
- I feel more secure using it, but for sure connections are slower when on than when it is off.
- It does not work at school, behind the school's firewall, so this is frustrating, and it means turning it on and off, and sometimes I will go home and forget to turn it back on.
- Though, I do like where it indicates it is on or off, with a quite noticeable red/blue/green rectangle just to the left of the URL.
- It is certainly easy to use - you just enable it in the Preferences.
- And you can't beat the price! Opera is free.
Why to use and how to choose a VPN
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VPN Summary
- VPNs secure your computer's Internet connection to guarantee that all of the data you're sending and receiving is encrypted and secured from prying eyes.
- And this allows secure remote work.