HP & ExpressVPN Team Up to Boost Data Security

As our reliance on the online world for digital transactions and communications increases, so too does the need for advanced data privacy and security solutions.

A recent McAfee survey showed that more than 40 per cent of people worldwide do not believe they maintain control over their personal data. Their suspicions are backed up by data security experts who warn us of the ever-present threat to our personal information.

These threats are most commonly exposed when major corporations and organizations fall prey to breaches. For example, 2018 saw Facebook Inc. painfully navigate a large-scale data breach. After this incident, the world started paying more attention to personal data security.

In a bid to boost data safety, the hardware manufacturer HP has teamed up with ExpressVPN, a leading virtual private network (VPN) provider.

This step indicates that VPNs are now standard, necessary tools as opposed to optional additions. In the past, new computers have come with anti-virus programs preinstalled, but this is the first time a major manufacturer has acknowledged the need for privacy and greater data safety by including VPN software in new products.

Using a VPN helps protect users by rerouting IP addresses through a series of online networks, thus thwarting would-be cybercriminals. VPNs are particularly useful when working or browsing on an unsecured or public network where one’s computer is visible to others.

Personal Data Protection

VPNs help users “hide” in plain sight and go a long way towards securing personal data, that is, data that allows others to identify an individual user.

Particularly at-risk information includes:
  • Date of birth
  • Email addresses
  • Phone numbers
  • Social security or other government-issued taxation numbers
  • Credit card information
  • Online banking passwords

Equipped with some of this information, hackers can quickly glean more of it until one’s personal security is severely compromised.

VPN Use Has Increased

HP’s move to include security tools in their new HP Spectre x360 computers serves two purposes, the most obvious of which is ensuring consumers’ privacy and data security in an increasingly volatile online environment. But the company’s pairing with ExpressVPN should also do wonders for HP’s client acquisition.

VPN use is on the rise. One recent GlobalWebIndex analysis showed that in certain months in 2019, 30 per cent of all surveyed users reported using a VPN when browsing the web. And the VPN market as a whole is expected to grow in leaps and bounds in 2020 and beyond.

Users may have once viewed VPNs as handy tools for watching BBC iPlayer or Hulu while in another country but more often these days VPNs are regarded as essential security and privacy components. A sentiment echoed by Mike Nash, HP’s Vice President of Customer Experience and Chief Technologist, who noted that the new partnership and the inclusion of a Windows VPN is the result of a push to increase HP’s security offerings.

Consumers who purchase a new HP desktop or laptop from the Spectre series will find ExpressVPN preloaded and with a month’s free trial included in the computer’s purchase price. Given the relatively low cost of an ongoing VPN service, we predict that many users will opt for a full year subscription after the trial period has ended.

Will VPNs Become Standard Components?

Only time will tell, however, HP has always been a leader when it comes to its security offerings so it is likely that other manufacturers will follow suit. It simply isn’t enough these days to expect an anti-virus to carry the full burden of online safety. In statements, ExpressVPN has hinted that other partnerships will be revealed in the coming months.

In the wake of several large and highly publicised breaches around the world, hardware companies are likely to step up to the challenge and step up their security standards. Consumer demand and the need for efficacious solutions to data security issues may well drive a sweeping change in the industry, one that will leave consumers, and their data, better off.

 

Kindly shared by ExpressVPN