Cybersecurity and privacy are becoming a major concern with time. If you are visiting a website, then your connection will automatically send your IP address to that website. Most people are not happy with this fact. Thus, many organizations are adopting proxy servers for protecting their users. In this article, we are going to talk about proxy servers.

Definition of a proxy server:

The proxy server will act as a bridge between you and your internet connection. You will use a proxy server for connecting with the website and other users. This will ensure that your own connection is secure.

If you are using a proxy server, then your internet browser will connect to your proxy server first. After that, the proxy server will forward the request to the website. Thus, the proxy server is also known as the forward proxy. These servers will also receive packets from the website. This will ensure that you can communicate with another website without sending your actual data. The proxy server will separate your connection.

The proxy servers will vary according to your use case and security requirements. These proxy servers are more than just intermediate platforms.

Use cases of Proxy Servers:

The proxy server will help you in improving your browsing experience. Some of the use cases of proxy servers are:

Security: This is the most important benefit of using proxy servers. Proxy servers will change your IP address. This will ensure that hackers can’t get access to your systems easily.
Firewalls: These systems will also protect your network from threats. Firewalls will ensure that only authorized users can access your network. They will block unwanted access from your systems. Proxy servers will act as hosts for these security solutions. They will check if the traffic is legit or not.
Filtering Content: Most organizations are using these proxy servers for filtering content. You can use them to block the outgoing traffic. This will ensure that your employees can’t access unsafe sites. However, your employees can also use their own proxy servers for bypassing this restriction.
Caching: In this, the proxy server will store the information on the sites that you frequently visit. This will ensure that you don’t need to load information again. Thus, proxy servers can help you in reducing network latency.

Difference between a VPN and Proxy Server:

Most people get confused between the proxy server and VPN as they will help you in securing your connection. The main difference between a VPN and a proxy server is that a VPN will encrypt the entire data. However, the proxy server will only forward the traffic from one system to another system.

How does it work?

Every computer has a unique address which is known as the Internet Protocol or IP address. This address is used for uniquely identifying your computer. A website will send data to your IP address.

If you are opening a webpage, then the request will first go to your proxy server. The proxy server will then forward this request to the website. After that, it will collect the data packets and send them back to you.

Proxy servers can also tamper with this data. They can filter content and modify your IP address. Also, they can encrypt your data. There are various types of proxy servers available in the market:

Transparent Proxies: These proxies won’t hide your IP address from the internet. Thus, these proxies won’t provide you any privacy or security. They are mostly used for blocking content in offices and schools.
Anonymous Proxies: If you are using this proxy server, then it will spoof your IP address. It will ensure that your real IP address is hidden from the internet. Thus, you can safely browse the internet. However, some websites have started websites coming from proxy servers. Thus, you might get banned from some sites.
High anonymity proxies: These proxy servers will also provide you additional proxy. If you are using these proxy servers, then the website won’t block you. They are better when compared to the normal anonymous proxies.

Benefits of Proxy Server:

Better Data Security: Data breaches are becoming more common with time. Thus, organizations are trying their best to protect their data and employees. These proxy servers will act as an additional security layer between outside traffic and your server. You should combine proxy servers with other security controls. Proxy Servers will ensure that you will have better visibility of your user behavior. You can use these proxy servers for blocking your employees from visiting unsecured attacks. This will help you in reducing the possibility of an insider attack. Also, it will ensure that your employees can’t visit unsecured sites.
It will protect vulnerable people: Most organizations are using proxy servers for ensuring that their employees can’t access harmful websites. If you are a parent, then you can use these proxy servers for preventing your children from accessing harmful sites. These proxy servers will also help you in monitoring internet activity. Thus, you can check what your children are doing on the web.
Better browsing experience: If you are frequently visiting some site, then your proxy server will store its data. This will ensure that you can quickly visit these sites in the future.
Privacy: If you value your data privacy, then proxy servers are perfect for you. Organizations can use proxy servers for hiding their private or important documents. If you are storing sensitive documents, then you should use proxy servers for hiding them.

Conclusion

There are various benefits of using these proxy servers. If you want better security, then you should definitely use these proxy servers. They will help you in protecting your organization from a data breach. Most data breaches will actually occur due to your employees. Your employees can sometimes visit malicious websites. These websites can infect your system and ultimately your whole network. Thus, you should use proxy servers for filtering the content. Experienced MSSPs like Bleuwire can help you in implementing proxy servers and other complicated security solutions. They will ensure that your network and data are protected from attackers. If you need more information regarding the best security solutions, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.