Tips to Buying Private Proxies

As the need to work in a remote location and increased desire to maintain anonymity among internet user create the demand for the private proxies. The use of a virtual private network has been the most popular type of proxy used in the world. The first type of serves to be used were named Wingate (Smith & Robles, 2013).  Wingate, window services enabled the sharing of internet destination dial-up among different users. With the increasing development in technology more advanced type of proxy continues to emerge and incidence of their misuse continue to increase.

Functions of a Proxy Server

A proxy can be defined as the intermediary on the connection between computers two or more over the internet. The primary function of the proxy is thus in establishing a permanent and a network link between two devices (Smith & Robles, 2013). For instance, opening a virtual private network from home may enable one to access computers systems in the workplace. The permanent connection created is therefore established as the default channel through which future communication will take place between the two computer systems. The connection between the computer and the remote VPN server does not only guarantees animosity in connection but in additions, it provides security through encryption of the communication between the two points.

The security provided make it difficult for a third party to identify the address and the sites that a proxy user accessed despite noticing the traffic flow. One similar that the use of any proxy attempt to provide is to conceal the originating address of the accessing system and only reveal the address of the server. However, apart from enhancing security and animosity proxy are used to serve other diversified purposes. For instance, one may use to access restricted content over the internet which would be deemed inaccessible. The fact that access to some cite is restricted to specific geographic locations require user in restricted geographical location to first establish connections with proxy servers in the home country to guarantee access to the controlled content.

For instance, individuals in France may use a proxy to access media contents that are only meant to be used in the United States. in such an attempt to bypass the restriction the user need to first to create a permanent network with a proxy server in the United States to be successful. On the other hand, the user proxy technology is not limited from illegal misuse particularly considering the increasing incidence of cyber-related crime. Hence, cybercriminals heavily rely on proxies as a measure to conceal their address and make it hard for the law enforcement agencies to track them.

Additionally, in large business organizations use of proxy server may serve the purpose of administrative control or providing security. In complementing the security of the enterprise, the proxy server may be used to monitor traffics as well as access to user’s privacy details. However not all of the user relies on the proxy with the primary aim of hiding their identity, some users rely on it based on its ability to provide protection against malware that may restrict internet access when the internet connection is working slowly.

On other hand proxy servers, the act as intermediaries provide security and shield the host internet destination. Users of proxies can subscribe to various service providers. Though the network administrators may provide critical security against unwarranted intrusion, the increasing threats continue to make the connection much more vulnerable, and thus administrators' attempts may not be sufficient in providing adequate security, and hence there is the need to consider using a proxy server.

Types of Proxies

Majority of the people do not realize that proxies are different from each other and their different feature distinguish certain capability from each other. Therefore, the ignorance led to some people making the wrong choice while selecting the proxy tools to purchase. Knowing the different type of proxies and their feature not only ensure that they achieve their objectives but also save on cost during purchase and future maintenance. When considering to purchase a particular type of proxy the user need to take some precautions on the type of proxy to purchase and make sure that the specific proxy aligns with the required performance. The user must have some necessary knowledge on the distinct feature and different functions of proxy servers.

First, it’s worth noting that proxy servers are classified into two broad categories, the transparent and anonymous type (Smith & Robles, 2013). On the transparent proxy, this type of services does not conceal the request of the connecting system. Such proxy serves to make it possible to identify the IP address of the requesting system.  Transparent proxies are most widely used to connect computers in an internal environment where concealing the identity of a requesting system is not necessary as the network is generally secure from the external threats. Thus, the transparent proxies do not conceal any information contained in the traffic. Also, apart from their wide use in internal networks they are used to access sites that may be inaccessible in a particular geographical location.

On the other hand, anonymous proxy servers transfer the users request without revealing their identity. Thus the proxy serves request without exposing the IP address of the users at the other end. It effectively conceals the address of the requesting system by utilizing a different IP address (Azumaya, Shiori & Manabu, 2014). Moreover, the proxy serves to ensure that the user system maintains high-level performance by providing additional storage on the previous request made. Moreover, it is worth noting that not all anonymous proxy serves to provide high-level information security. For instance, despite some less advanced proxies maintaining anonymity, they do not conceal their identity as proxy servers and thus making network administrators aware of its use. Purchasing such a proxy is not advisable for us as it may provide access to private information.

On the other hand, more advanced proxy servers do not reveal their identity as a proxy in the websites they visit this make them more convenient for concealing identity as well as protecting users' privacy.

Apart from anonymous and transparent proxies, other categories of proxies include the reverse and intercepting proxy. In reverse proxy, it acts as an intermediary that sends the user request to a specific private network through a firewall. On the other hand, an intercepting proxy enables the combination of different request and redirect them to the internet destination without any additional configurations.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Proxy Services

Security

Therefore, having adequate knowledge on the type and feature that each type of proxy possess is critical in determining whether an individual purchase a product that will achieve the intended objective while on the other hand providing value for money. On choosing the type of proxy to purchase considering the level of security provided, its ability to maximize use system performance by providing additional memory and its capability to monitor traffic are some of the features that require to be considered before deciding to buy.

Number of Users

Moreover, need to avoid public available proxy’s s useful in ensuring that one maintains a high internet connection as the majority of then experience overload from numerous users thus affecting the level of performance over the internet. Further to overt facing the challenge of a poor connection in the future there is need to examine the bandwidth that the proxy providers have allowed since it limitation will automatically affect the performance of the user system (Azumaya, Shiori & Manabu, 2014). 

Furthermore, another issue that affects the performance of the proxy is on the number of users that access the internet using that particular server.  A proxy server that is shared by numerous user may perform slowly compared by the one that serves a few individuals (Triantafillou & Aekaterinidis, 2010).  Thus, considering the number of individuals that a proxy serves to connect with offer better insight on the expected browsing speed and hence relying on a server that is shared by less individual is a better alternative where speed is a concern.

On improving the security of the user, there is a need to evaluate the available options of guaranteeing the users privacy. One need to choose whether to subscribe to a shared proxy which is considerably cheaper and less private or getting a dedicated one that provides a guarantee to user’s security. A shared proxy increase risk of privacy breach from a third party while a dedicated proxy is tailored purposely to serve the interest of the client and hence the security of the information is highly given much priority.

Free or Paid

Therefore for the user who wishes to maintain his identity concealed and additional information security considering installing a dedicated proxy server is the better alternative.

First, on the list of the proxies to avoid is those that are provided for free or attract a cheap subscription rate. The fact that running and managing a proxy server demand high capital contradicts the reason why an enterprise will be willing to provide its retail services at no fee or at a rate that generate less revenue incapable of efficiently managing the server. In relation, the users need to compares then price offered with the level of server performance.

Considering the high cost of purchasing hardware and need to settle personnel services the proxy server may be providing service to a large number of users and hence leading to a low-performance level (Kenneth & Stephanie, 2014). Moreover, a company that provide proxy service freely may allegedly intend to use the customer data for commercial gain without their consent. Hence, when purchasing a proxy server should place much emphasis on acquiring a paid service since it guarantees a source of accountability and hence rare to intrude on its privacy.

For Trust

Another critical element for consideration is trust, particularly on the reputation of the proxy service provider. By using a proxy server all the request logs and visits stays on the proxy server and can be viewed by server administrators. Therefore, the fact that individual browsing logs are private information, it is prudent to purchase proxy from a trusted company that may not share the data with third parties without my consent. The cache system makes a lot of useful information available for the proxy service provider to access including the sensitive password.

Further, there is a need to examine whether the proxy communication has full encryption.  The fact that the majority of the people do not understand the difference between encrypted and non-encrypted make them vulnerable to third-party interception. Therefore when buying a proxy server priority to be placed on obtaining fully encrypted software and thus guarantee security from a potential interception that may siphon sensitive personal details such as credit card and bank details.

Additionally, apart from making the proxy purchase from a trusted company, it is necessary to ensure that the vendor provides after-sales free support services. Choosing brands that provide technical support for their software create confidence in the quality of the products. Moreover, free after-sales service is economical than considering to hire an expert to service and more avoid unnecessary interference during poor performance or when the proxy is faulty.

Compatibility

About choosing the proxy service provider, purchasing proxy tools from reputable and trust companies provide additional advantages as much often they tend to have modified their tools to be compatible with various tools and hence are more generally convenient in their usage. Therefore, when buying the proxy tools not only does the user need to consider after sales support but a more critical aspect that determines future usability is the compatibility of the proxy with other network tools. Hence, before making a purchase decision, one has to compare the compatibility of the necessary tools while considering the purpose of the proxy. For instance, if the user aims at enhancing online marketing through social networking, he/she may consider the compatibility of the proxy with tools such as scrapebox.

Free Trial

There is a need to take a keen on the review from past user based on their experience in using the particular tool. However, considering that reviews may be full of prejudice and sometimes used as a marketing approach a more effective manner to supplement the exposure on the performance of the tool is by relying on requesting for a free trial before purchasing the proxy tool. The free trial offers the best experience on how the proxy under consideration is expected to perform.

After the free trial experience, one has to assess how the experience met the various need and expectations and hence provide a better platform to acquire perfect knowledge about the product before committing to buy. Additionally, getting a first-hand experience through free trial will provide a better insight into the speed of the proxy tools. Some proxy tools limit their speed and thus depending on the purpose it is critical to evaluate its online performance before making a conclusive sale decision.

Ceanliness of the IPs

Additionally, it is critical to consider the number of proxies that are available in one tool. Having a high variety increases performance and minimize chances of being denied access when some IP addresses are banned from requesting from particular sits. Moreover, buying in bulk is more economical and hence considering purchasing multiple proxies save on considerable cost.

Location of Coverage

Considering the geographical location is critical in ensuring that the proxy tool will achieve the intended action. The fact that geographic location influence the effectiveness of the proxy tools considering that some regions are regarded as higher risk than others makes it essential for a company or individual to first consider their country of choice before making the purchase.

If the user proceeds to buy a proxy tool without considering the country that the proxy identifies itself with, it may result to access challenges in the future as some cites may ban connections from countries regarded as high-risk areas. Therefore, when buying the proxy from any vendor being so much economic may lead to purchasing of low-quality proxy which may be described as less secure, slow performance and one that jeopardizes the privacy of the user sensitive information especially due to lack of encryption.

Conclusion

In conclusion, by going through the article, one gets a clear insight into the need to understand how different proxies their distinct features and weakness before making a purchase decision. Before getting enough knowledge on the different categories of proxies, one may be tempted to consider public proxies as the appealing alternatives owing to their low price and popularity.

However, after a deep analysis, it gets clear despite the high cost of purchasing a dedicated server is the best alternative considering its high level of privacy and guarantee for technical support from the proxy tool vendors. After going through this article, you become more enlightened on the step to follow to acquire a proxy that offers value for money. However, after installing the proxy tool, there is a need to maintain the serve security updated to prevent future network intrusion in addition to maintaining contact with the vendor to provide support when technical supported is needed. Additional precaution measure to ensure security include to avoid sharing your proxy with other user and hence reduces its vulnerability from attacks.