Individuals are just some of the ones that can benefit from having proxies implemented. Corporate establishments can also leverage the functionalities of a proxy for their services and needs. Furthermore, different industries have varying needs for proxy servers.
These peculiar needs inform the specific proxy such industries use. So, companies must determine what they need a proxy for. Non-technical organizations can reach out to professionals to execute the examination of their system to see where proxies can improve performance.
Many business owners, executives, and professionals ask why their companies need proxy products. This article will answer that question by providing examples of industries currently using proxy servers and those yet to adopt the technology.
What Are Proxy Servers?
Proxy servers act as gateways between users’ computers and internet servers. As an intermediary, a proxy helps the user ensure privacy and security while facilitating better performance.
When computers try to visit a web page, a request is sent to the server hosting the webpage. Such a request is sent alongside the user’s IP address. The IP address is like the user’s home address on the internet. Every data on the user’s internet activity carries this address. So, it’s easy to trace a user’s location from their requests to the internet.
A proxy prevents this, so when the user makes the request, it first goes to the proxy server. The proxy then changes the IP address of the request and forwards it to the target server. The server then sends a request back to the proxy before it’s finally transmitted back to the user.
But beyond the anonymity proxies ensure, they also work to improve privacy, facilitate shared connections, act as firewalls, etc.
Proxies can either be software or hardware. The hardware proxy servers are always on-site and set up between your computer and the internet. On the other hand, the software versions are mainly proxy service providers. Software proxies can also be hosted in the cloud, where users can download them to their computers.
Software proxies can either be free or paid. The free versions are mainly used by individuals who don’t desire to pay for proxy services. It’s paramount for organizations to use paid proxy products that offer exceptional security, performance, and credibility. If you would like to learn more about proxies, check out this comprehensive list of proxy products.
Industries Need Proxy Servers.
Different industries need proxy servers for various reasons. Here are some organizational use cases for proxy servers:
1. Web Scraping
Web scraping is the process of extracting data from the web using dedicated automated software. The collected data and information are sent to a storage facility where they can be analyzed and used to make future business decisions.
Web scraping can be done manually, but this is burdensome and slow. Hence, the need for automation. One aspect of web scraping automation is the use of proxy servers.
Proxy servers help web scrapers access data outside their primary location by using an IP address of the new location. Rotating proxies also help with web scraping by frequently switching the IP address with data extraction requests made by a web scraping tool.
Since web scrapers are automated, they can quickly make thousands of requests to a single website. This high-frequency request activity isn’t possible manually, which makes the scraping activity easy to detect for web servers. Upon detection, the web server can ban the IP address from which the request is coming.
However, by using a rotating proxy, each request sent by the scraper is given a unique IP address that makes it impossible for the server to flag the unusual activity.
2. Marketing
In the 21st century, it’s more manageable for businesses to aim for international customers. One aspect of this kind of work is lead generation. Accessing new customers outside a company’s primary location improves liquidity and sales. Marketing organizations also use proxies to make their job easier.
With web scrapers, companies can effortlessly get information about new leads from the whole web, including websites like LinkedIn, Yellowpages, Glassdoor, Amazon, etc.
Web scrapers also help marketers with brand monitoring. Knowing how people feel about a business and its product is a priceless insight every company needs. Marketing organizations or teams can easily set up a web scraping tool armed with a proxy to aggregate data across different countries.
3. Real Estate
The Real Estate industry leverages data to help brokerages and agents make impactful decisions. If you’re looking to invest, collecting the right data is vital to help you figure out if it’s the right move. Web scraping tools come in handy here.
Industries That Don’t Need Proxies But Can Use Them
Beyond the current use cases of proxies, some industries can potentially benefit from using proxy servers.
• Developers: When testing sites and software for different countries and cities.
• Banks and insurance companies: to make risk assessments and other security checks.
• Retailers: for price comparison.
Conclusion
Most myths about proxies aren’t true. They’re a genuine innovation that adds value to businesses. They provide security and performance and give unrestricted access. If your business falls in any of these industries and you haven’t started using proxy products, this is your cue to start.
