But the internet wasn’t exactly built for this much attention. In many areas, a 50% increase in internet use is a conservative estimate. VPN use in particular is a great way to track the sudden jolt of online activity — and explore how that same activity is pushing the internet to its limits. Secure Your Corporate Internet with our guide to the Best Business VPNs
Traffic increases
ExpressVPN has seen global VPN usage increase by 21% since end-February, with a 26% increase in the US. Plenty of VPN providers are seeing even higher numbers, particularly on the business side. The business solution NordVPN Teams has seen a 165% usage spike since March 11, as well as “record” overall sales thanks to a nearly 600% increase. And according to NordVPN’s analysis, business VPN use overall has seen 65.93% growth across the US.
Easy to use iOS and Android appsExcellent customer support and live chatServers in 94 countriesOften leads the way with security upgrades
Pricey on per-month planNo port-forwarding
Scott Howitt, McAfee’s CIO, even argues that VPN use shouldn’t be used unless workers are accessing their corporate network rather than just a normal cloud-based SaaS. The pandemic has intensified pre-existing trends in tech: Streaming video services were already succeeding while cable TV and theaters lost out, but now that’s more true than ever. Similarly, working remotely is now more rapidly becoming the “new normal,” Howitt says, and we’ll continue to see the shift happen in real time in the near future. Expect more remote workforces and fewer physical office spaces even after the lockdowns end.
Internet traffic is up everywhere
The more-than-healthy growth of VPNs across March is just one sign of the global retreat to the internet. Video chat apps also saw their stock rise, naturally: Downloads for the video conferencing platform Zoom jumped a jaw-dropping 1,270% between February 22 and March 22 according to one analysis, with 17.2 million downloads across Android and iOS. Video chat app Houseparty has seen millions of downloads, while a Chrome extension designed for group Netflix watching, Netflix Party, has also taken off. Can the internet handle this sudden and massive increase? We’re already seeing the impact. YouTube has turned 480p quality into its default video setting around the world, and Netflix has made similar moves in European countries, though it’s still retaining HD-quality video. It seems we’ll avoid any large-scale outages due to the increased traffic, but the pandemic is highlighting the constraints of online use — constraints that have up until now seemed invisible.
