VPN usage skyrockets as more people start to work from home

What you need to know

• Business VPN usage has increased by 165% worldwide, according to NordVPN.
• Its sales grew by almost 600% since March 11.
• People are also working longer hours.

The usage of VPNs — or Virtual Private Networks — has skyrocketed in recent weeks as a result of people spending more time at home, according to data shared by NordVPN. It noted a 165% uptick in the use of business VPNs and its overall sales increased by almost 600% since 11 March, 2020.

With people around the world moving to working from home, the sharp increase seen by NordVPN, particularly with regard to business VPNs, may not be surprising with employees needing to connect securely to corporate networks, but the numbers are staggering.

There appears also to have been a spike in productivity, or at least an increase in working hours, with the move to home working with NordVPN users connecting for longer each day.

Usage data from the NordVPN Teams business software revealed several countries, including Canada, The UK, France, and more, are using their business VPNs for an extra two hours per day. U.S. usage jumped by an even greater amount as the workday lengthened by three hours on average.

Daniel Marcusson, digital privacy expert of NordVPN Teams, said:

It remains to be seen if that additional time is actually being used productively or if the adjustment to home working is causing some efficiency issues.

If you're looking for a VPN for personal use, you can score a sweet deal on NordVPN with up to 70% in savings. Alternatively, take a look at our list of the best VPN deals.

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