Something curious has happened in the internet security market since Uzair Gadit, co-founder and CEO of PureVPN launched his business in 2007. Back then, Gadit says, the market in which he specialises, providing virtual private networks, was worth less than $100m a year – but customers who used his VPNs could be confident they were protecting around 25% of their online vulnerability simply through this simple precaution. Today, Gadit says, the VPN market is worth more than $3bn, yet a VPN protects around 10% of your online footprint.
This seeming mismatch is explained by the rapid pace at which the online environment has evolved over the past decade. The growth in the market reflects growing recognition of the value of VPNs for a whole variety of use cases. But the explosion of cloud computing, social media and the internet of things has been even more dramatic. “The attack surface for the privacy- and security-conscious consumer has multiplied in size many times’ over,” Gadit says.
PureVPN therefore finds itself at an inflection point. Having pioneered the use of VPNs, particularly in the consumer sector, Gadit is keen to see more consumers and businesses protect themselves in this way. But he is also conscious that more protection is now required. “What we’re now working towards is a new vision of holistic privacy and security,” he says.
Certainly, Gadit believes the VPN market will continue to grow. He points to a string of reasons why internet users might want to operate online with the anonymity and privacy that a network offers. There is growing concern about the big technology business model, he points out, which is built on tracking and targeting internet users with advertising based on their previous usage. There is nervousness about state intrusions, both in the West and in authoritarian regimes. The behaviour of internet service providers, which sometimes play customers off against one another, also upsets many people.
Then there are the changes in the way we live. The Covid-19 crisis, for example, has seen a surge in remote working, with people often connecting to the internet in public venues on unsecured networks, where their security, if not protected by a VPN, can easily be compromised. Connected devices, linked to our home networks, provide another point of attack.
PureVPN founder and CEO Uzair Gadit
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“There is a perception that interest in VPNs is driven by those looking to circumnavigate some of the blocks on the internet, such as restrictions on what content you can stream in a particular territory,” says Gadit. “That is part of the story, but our research suggests that privacy and security are much more important motivations for customers who want a VPN.”
PureVPN offers a simple option for accessing such protection. Its consumer product gives you access to its VPN at a monthly cost of $10.95 (with discounts for those who sign up for contracts). The service works on any device you need it to, ensuring that you can go online while maintaining your privacy and staying secure.
Increasingly, however, Gadit believes consumers will want much more. PureVPN is therefore focused on building out a new brand, secure.com, which will offer a suite of products to consumers eager to take their protection well beyond the 10% that Gadit believes a VPN alone now offers. He has identified as many as 16 possible weaknesses that need closing in order to safeguard privacy and deliver online security.
This month, secure.com will begin rolling out the first four products, each offered on a standalone basis, that Gadit believes consumers now need. The company will begin with a tool to improve the privacy of your email communications, with an encryption facility that layers on top of your existing service. Then it plans to launch a social media tool to help consumers work out the ideal privacy and security settings for them on a particular platform. A password manager and ad-blocker will follow shortly after.
“We’re at a point where people are looking for a much more holistic level of security and privacy,” Gadit argues. He believes PureVPN, a trusted and transparent name in its existing market, can meet that desire.
“The biggest shift that we’ve seen over the years has been from users trusting the hardware and service providers with their security and privacy as default, to users not trusting anyone at all,” Gadit adds. He forecasts a continuing convergence of privacy, security and identity in the years to come, with brands that are able to build reputations of trust and transparency playing the key role in ensuring that consumers and businesses can pursue those goals.
