As industries digitally transform processes in today’s global digital landscape, the threat of cybercrime looms large, particularly for sections like sales that rely heavily on online operations. The emanation of the dark web—a covert part of the internet often associated with illicit or illegitimate conduct—has introduced another dimension for cybercriminals to wreak havoc on enterprises and individuals alike.
In the business world, competition is rife. Customer loyalty is the magic wand and isn’t just about repeat purchases. It entails building a bonding relationship where customers choose your products or services over competitors and become brand ambassadors. Customers can only vouchsafe your brand if they realize their sensitive information is secure.
Reaching remote customers involves integrating emerging technologies, such as cloud telephony solutions; in the evolving cybercrime landscape, hackers can capitalize on vulnerabilities in these innovative solutions to gain entry into organizations’ networks.
The sales department and the entire business world have started deploying innovative virtual private network (VPN) technologies to combat these threats. Before weighing the different options you can implement to thwart the nefarious activities of the dark web agents, you need a comprehensive understanding of the dark web and its potential threats.
The dark web encompasses encrypted networks requiring specific software, configurations, or authorization before a user can gain access.
While not all activities on the dark web are illegal, it is notorious for hosting various illegitimate operations, including:
You won’t be wrong to refer to sales operations as the lifeblood of a business, and compromises can cause grave harm to the organization’s survival. Therefore, it’s critical to implement robust security measures like innovative VPN technologies since customer database leaks, disruption of sales platforms, and reputational damage can lead to significant financial losses or even total business closure.
The Virtual Private Network (VPN) is not a nascent technology; its acceptance as a vital tool that enhances a secure, encrypted connection between devices and the internet is global. Whenever a user surfs the web using a VPN, the data is tunneled through an encrypted server, masking the assigned IP address and ensuring online activities remain private.
For sales teams, this can mean securely accessing sensitive client data, conducting transactions, and communicating without the fear of eavesdropping or data breaches.
The overriding reason for deploying a VPN into sales operations is its ability to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. Sales teams often handle confidential data such as client lists, payment information, and sales strategies that can jeopardize an organization’s processes if allowed to fall into the wrong hands.
Apart from encrypting this information, the multi-hop, cascading, or double VPN feature routes internet traffic through multiple servers in diverse locations globally. This results in a complicated web that confounds hackers or third parties, making it extremely difficult for dark web agents or malware to intercept and exploit.
In an increasingly hybrid working environment, sales teams need access to company networks from various locations. With VPN technology, remote-working employees can connect securely to the company’s internal systems from anywhere and at any time.
This secure access reduces the risk of attackers capitalizing on entry points and infiltrating the network through unsecured public Wi-Fi networks from places like hotels, airports, and cafés, which are common targets for hackers.
Connecting to a VPN can mask the user’s IP address, making online activities less traceable to even the internet service provider (ISP) that assigns IP addresses to employees’ devices. This anonymity is crucial for sales teams, especially those operating in international markets or conducting market research.
Concealing their online activities enables employees to avoid unwanted tracking by competitors or cybercriminals.
Salespeople can leverage geo-locational obfuscation VPN technology to bypass the geographical restrictions that some websites or tools impose. For sales teams looking to access market data, pricing, or competitor insights in specific regions, VPNs allow users to connect through servers in those areas, ensuring they access globalized content and insights necessary for making strategic decisions.
Modern VPN solutions allow connections from multiple devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones, at a go. This feature is crucial for sales teams that operate on the go.
With a VPN, team members can secure their communications and data, regardless of the device.
Spear phishing is still a potent and prevalent attack method cyber criminals use on unsuspecting victims. Hackers can trick sales representatives into sharing sensitive information by disguising themselves as trusted entities.
VPNs, incorporating AI-powered threat detection technology, along with proper training and awareness, will enable real-time traits and behavior analysis, enhancing proactive spear phishing or any advanced cyberattack identification and nullification, reducing the risk of falling victim to such attacks by ensuring that data remains encrypted even if hackers make phishing attempts.
Not all VPNs are created equal, and doing due diligence before choosing a reputable service for your sales operations is crucial.
The following are some critical features you must consider:
As digital adoption penetrates every sphere of human endeavor and the digital landscape evolves, so do the threats hackers use to target sales operations. Dark web agents pose significant risks, but innovative VPN technologies provide a real-time and proactive line of defense.
VPNs can help businesses safeguard their sales operations and protect sensitive data from malevolent actors by enhancing data security, enabling secure remote access, incorporating an AI-powered threat detection feature, enhancing geo-locational obfuscation, and ensuring anonymity.
As online threats continue to grow as generative AI evolves, adopting and integrating VPN technology is not just a wise choice; it’s a critical step towards ensuring the safety and success of your sales endeavors.