Working from home has become more common since the pandemic of Covid-19, so people can benefit from dedicated IP as it will increase their protection against cyber attackers. A dedicated IP saves you from sharing your login credentials with anyone.
What is a dedicated IP?
A dedicated IP address is solely for you and your company to be used through Virtual Private Network (VPN). People who have been granted access to your dedicated IP address will be able to access it from any part of the world. There are different types of IP addresses. Let us further describe this in the following:
IP address 101:
Internet Protocol (IP) address is your online address provided to you to identify individual computers, servers, or any other devices, for that matter, over the Internet or LAN. It strictly contains four numbers which are separated by a dot like x.x.x.x ranging from 0 to 255. Different devices can use the IP address of other devices for communication. It makes the transfer of data or other files between devices easier.
IP address and the Domain Name System (DNS)
As mentioned above, IP addresses are a combination of numbers, making it difficult for people to remember; therefore, domain names came into existence. People can create their own domain names, making them easier to remember. Each IP address has a unique domain name. So whenever you look up a domain name, you can match it with its corresponding IP address.
Types of IP Addresses
Even though there are many types of IP addresses, we have four major ones, viz.:
- Private
- Public
- Dynamic
- Static
The first two of these four can be used to describe networks’ location.
Private IP address:
These only operate within a local network. Your router will assign every device a unique IP address to communicate within the network only.
Public IP address:
These are used to access the Internet. These are assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Therefore all the devices using the same Internet connection will have the same IP address.
The next two IP addresses, i.e., Static and Dynamic, tell about the network’s permanence.
Static IP address:
A static IP address is manually created and does not change. It is usually generated for the servers that host websites or provide FTP and email services.
Dynamic IP address:
It is the most common type of IP address, and it keeps on changing. It has an expiration time and remains active for a short period. After its expiration, either a new IP address is assigned, or the system requests a new one.
Shared IP VS Dedicated IP Address
We have discussed what a dedicated IP address is. On the contrary, a shared IP address is used by multiple domains. In the beginning, many websites used a shared IP address just like they used shared hosting plans. You might think that shared IP addresses are for those who use shared hosting plans, but it is unnecessary. You can have a shared IP address without having a shared server.
On the other hand, a dedicated IP address is a static IP address, and you have it all for yourself. It is different from dedicated hosting, and you can get it without having dedicated hosting. But if you have a dedicated hosting plan, you will automatically be assigned a dedicated IP address.
Benefits of Dedicated IP Address
Having a dedicated IP address brings a lot of benefits with it. It improves the speed and security of your site, prevents you from getting your IP blocked, etc. Let us go through some of the benefits of a dedicated IP address:
Find your website using the IP address:
As your company is the only one using the dedicated IP address and no other domain names are associated with it, you can find your website using your dedicated IP address.
Less risk of IP blocklisting:
You can share your IP address because it is safe to do so. The risk it poses is country-specific blocking of your website. Having a shared IP address increases the risks of illegal activities, i.e., sending out spam emails, malware, or virus performed by any of the websites sharing the address, which will cause all the websites having the shared IP address, including yours, to be blocked as well.
On the other hand, if you use a dedicated IP address, there is no chance of your IP getting blocked by search engines unless you perform some malicious acts yourself.
Faster Emails:
A dedicated IP address provides faster email deliveries as compared to a shared IP address. Moreover, emails sent from dedicated IP addresses are considered more trusted by Gmail and Yahoo. On the other hand, the emails sent out through a shared IP address are double-checked by these email service providers because the chances of spam mail are higher from shared IP addresses as compared to dedicated IP addresses.
Secures your remote access:
A dedicated IP address is just for you and your company. It allows your workers from remote areas to connect to the company’s resources securely. You do not have to worry about any security breaches. If any such thing happens, you can easily locate the problematic device and remove it from your company’s resources.
Quicker and Safer File Transfer:
You can create a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server using a dedicated IP address to share files within your company. It will provide a safer and quicker route to transfer your files within the company.
Conclusion
As security breaches due to working from remote areas have increased, you can use a dedicated IP address to avoid these problems. It also provides you with a safer and quicker way for your employees to connect to the company’s resources. It also provides faster email delivery and quick approval from email providers. It also reduces the risk of getting your site blocked by a search engine to almost zero. Therefore, a dedicated IP address should be your preferred choice to avoid problems and improve your company’s security.