The VPN industry continues to grow and this year is expected to reach new heights with an increasing number of users embracing the software that keeps them safe online. Not everything is rosy though, as there will be some challenges. However, this happens with all markets and the VPN market is no exception.
In this article, we will explore the 5 trends we expect will shape the VPN market in 2020.
- VPN networks are becoming even more popular
Although 2019 was a year that broke records for the entire VPN industry, the coming years will see a broader adoption of VPN services by users as well as businesses.
The media that reproduce significant security and privacy breaches, “helped” the VPN industry in the past and we believe that these news will continue to be in the headlines. Today's users are more “informed” and want to maintain their privacy.
Therefore, we expect that even the non‑technological community will start adopting VPNs in 2020, with research firms predicting that their market will rise this year to $27.1 billion, from $20.6 billion which it was in 2018 and $20.6 billion in 2019.
- A new protocol is making its appearance
OpenVPN will probably remain the industry standard protocol in 2020, apart from Hotspot Shield which has its own proprietary technology. However, there will be serious competition in the form of the new Wireguard VPN protocol, which will likely have an impact on the market later in 2020.
Those who are new to the protocol should know that Wireguard is much simpler than OpenVPN, with around 4,000 lines of code compared to OpenVPN's 500,000 lines. This makes it lighter and more secure, as it is much easier to control.
Furthermore, the new protocol promises higher connection speeds and even greater security – although we have not yet seen any large‑scale OpenVPN breach incident.
For the story, we should mention that NordVPN was one of the first major VPN providers that announced plans to support Wireguard, with other companies following soon.
- Establishment in the market
Last year, we saw Kape Technologies acquire private internet access, strengthening its dynamic presence that already includes CyberGhost VPN and ZenMate VPN along with various other internet security tools. Additionally, IPVanish, StrongVPN and Overplay were completed by J2 Global, which owns many of the popular internet tools.
- New players are coming to the forefront
Besides the major VPN providers that exploit smaller competitors, we may see new companies launching VPN products – further promoting market growth.
ProtonVPN may be a solid choice today, but it started as an encrypted email service of ProtonMail. Also, in recent years we have seen new solutions hitting the market from companies such as Mozilla (Firefox web browser), Ookla (developer of the popular speed‑test site), and even PornHub.
These new proposals may not offer the best services, but their audience is huge and the market has a large margin for growth.
- More security breaches
With the increasing number of VPN services, the risk of security breaches grows. In simple terms, as VPN services increase, hackers find more “games” at their disposal.
Last year, NordVPN suffered a minor breach on one of its servers in Finland and responded immediately to further strengthen its security – given that it is already one of the most secure options out there.
In the past we have also seen many malicious VPN services such as the one that theoretically targeted Facebook, as well as some other free “solutions” VPN that did little to keep users safe while simultaneously collecting their personal information in the background.
This year, we expect new breaches, including many security leaks. The best option to stay safe is to use a VPN that has been tested for a long time and has proven its stability.
Conclusions
Every new year brings new challenges for everyone and the VPN sector is no exception. As usual, there are good and bad scenarios ahead of us. To stay safe online – prefer to sign up for one of the services that have been provided and tested in the market for a long time.
Leave VPN services to work their magic in the background, as you browse the web securely, download files via BitTorrent, stream movies etc., knowing that no one can track you. And that is exactly the most important service of a VPN, to protect you and your privacy.
