Atlas VPN CEO Dainius Vanagas interview with SafetyDetectives
Recently our CEO, Dainius Vanagas, talked with cybersecurity and privacy experts from Safety Detectives. In the interview, Dainius shed light on the distinctive features that set Atlas VPN apart, addressed common misconceptions surrounding VPNs, and delved into the reasons behind its emergence as a vital cybersecurity tool. Here's a sneak peek into this captivating interview.
Can you talk about your background and what motivated you to start Atlas VPN?
In 2019, we noticed a gap in the VPN market. Nearly all trusted providers offered a 7-day trial and required users to purchase a premium subscription once it expired. Even if there were companies that provided free VPN services, they were outshined by the premium offerings.
This realization sparked the idea for Atlas VPN — a VPN service that delivers exceptional security and privacy while also offering free service to users worldwide.
Prior to Atlas VPN, I had spent years working in the technology sector, heading an award-winning customer success department. Nowadays, my focus revolves around leading technical, product, and marketing teams. Together, we strive to ensure that Atlas VPN consistently offers innovative solutions for online security and privacy protection to empower individuals worldwide to safeguard their digital lives.
What are some of the features that make Atlas stand out in a crowded VPN market?
While many VPN services offering free subscriptions opt for a barebones approach to keep costs down, we have taken a different path. We understand that security and privacy are not areas where one can afford to compromise, which is why we have invested in assembling a team of experienced developers who possess a deep understanding of the intricacies involved.
Our business model helps us cover our operational costs and is the reason why we can offer a comprehensive free subscription without compromising our user privacy and security.
And we can tell that our service has genuinely resonated with users, as evidenced by our year-on-year growth of 150%, outpacing the average VPN market growth of 18%.
In terms of features, we offer many advanced privacy and security features that go beyond VPN protection, such as data breach tracking tool Data Breach Monitor and malware and third-party tracker blocking tool SafeBrowse.
In addition to our regular VPN servers, Atlas VPN users have access to our exclusive Privacy Pro servers, developed by our skilled engineers. They include the innovative SafeSwaps servers, allowing users to have many changing IP addresses without switching between different VPN servers. We also offer MultiHop+ servers, which enable users to connect to the internet through several rotating VPN locations simultaneously, providing an extra layer of online protection.
These features are not simply something we saw in the market and adopted for ourselves. We created them from scratch, making Atlas VPN unique even among premium competitors.
Why has a VPN become such an important cybersecurity tool over the past few years?
One of the primary reasons for VPN growth over the past few years was the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread shift toward remote work. As more people began working from home, there was a heightened need to ensure the security of work devices outside of the office.
Furthermore, I feel that, in general, people have become more aware of online security risks. With cyberattacks, data breaches, and other threats becoming more prevalent, people have become more conscious of the need to protect their online safety and privacy, even on their personal devices. VPNs have emerged as an effective tool for enhancing security on the internet.
The full interview is available on the SafetyDetectives website.
