A quarter century ago VPNs (otherwise known as virtual private networks) were the provenance of business corporations. VPNs for consumers really didn’t exist. Instead consumers used expensive proxies to access sites that were blocked. But today, with many more sites for streaming, not to mention the supersonic speed available on the internet, consumers and more especially entrepreneurs, are using it more and more. The latest stats suggest that just about half of the current entertainment that is streaming is done through VPNs. This is a much higher amount than those who want VPN to protect their identity and remain anonymous.
It just stands to reason that with the rise of VPN use in all business and private sectors, it has also become very consumer-friendly. Many applications now allow users access with just a single click. The VPN industry is trying to make their product as easy and accessible as putting up a personal blog. What seems to be driving the VPN concept today is the desire by entrepreneurs, and others, to avoid having their sites geo-blocked, and conversely not being able to access geo-blocked sites, as well as to get around the various censorship issues with countries like China and Russia — which, in turn can mean the avoidance of expensive and time-wasting prosecution attempts in foreign countries. Investors and financial experts expect that the VPN industry will continue its strong growth pattern, possibly doubling its profits by 2024. Seed money for VPN startups in the coming months should be relatively easy to come by.
It’s not too late for entrepreneurs to jump on the VPN bandwagon. While there are now hundreds of VPN service providers working the market for a share of the profits, there is still plenty of room for new enterprises — both those that charge a fee and those that offer a great free VPN on an exchange basis. VPN security is considered to be among the best in the cyber world today, and their ability to go around any country’s geo-blocking programs is very impressive. But entrepreneurs must be careful what they promise their clients, since the highest security and the best geo-blocking programs are both expensive to run and complicated to work. A reliable VPN startup is going to need top-notch staffing from the get-go.
While the consumer market for VPN is projected to remain strong and progressive, what’s really important for the future of VPN is that entrepreneurs need to prepare themselves to take advantage of the probable upcoming political turmoil and continuing upheavals in the copyright enforcement codes world-wide. It may sound cynical, but the worse things become around the world politically, and the harder and more expensive it becomes to access entertainment content, the more there will be for reliable VPN services. Entrepreneurs who realize this and act on it are slated to find huge success.
With the increase in political repression around the globe predicted by every major pundit, VPN services will become more crucial than ever. Add to that the mounting concern over personal data privacy and the likely clampdowns of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, and the need for good VPN networks becomes obvious. This can only be good news to entrepreneurs.
