From getting into a new market to collecting data on competitors, proxies are an invaluable tool for business and personal use. While choosing a proxy type and provider is often left to data analysts or IT specialists, choosing the location of your proxy servers is a wider business decision.
Proxy location is crucial for security, performance, and access to the needed information without much interruption. Let’s explore how businesses must choose proxy locations and illustrate it with proxies in India.
Hiding your IP and Changing Location
Many business tasks require you to have multiple IP addresses at your disposal. For example, before starting a shop in a new area, it’s crucial to know the pricing trends, what potential customers to expect, and if there is much room for growth. All of this data can be collected automatically online.
However, if you run scraping software from your business IP, your potential competitors will likely notice. Not only will they start preparing for your arrival into the region, but, in some cases, they might start lawsuits against you for collecting their data. That’s why businesses need to hide their IP address.
Another important aspect is geo-restrictions for data. Many old-school business owners think the internet is still what it was in the 90s – a free and unrestricted place to share information. While it still is such a place, you need additional tools to tap into the full potential of the web.
Websites, governments, and internet service providers (ISPs) restrict information based on the visitor’s IP address. This can be something harmless, like changing the website’s language or blocking pirating websites. But it can also allow websites to adjust the pricing and branding information.
It complicates the analysis of different strategies your competitors use in a given market. You must have access to different locations because your original one simply can’t access the same information that realistically will be available for customers.
Proxy Server for Businesses
Proxy servers can achieve both functions – change your IP address and bypass geo-restrictions. They act as intermediaries, allowing you to first connect to the proxy and then use its connection to conceal your identity. Other tools, such as a VPN service, can achieve this function also, but they are more often optimized for individual use.
Most use cases of proxies have a relevant proxy type to match the needs of performance and legitimacy. Here are the three main types of proxies you should know about.
Datacenter proxies – the fastest and most affordable type. Housed in data centers using high-speed servers, internet connection, and IPs created virtually. Best for when you need to transfer a lot of data fast.
Residential proxies – the most legitimate type. Run on physical devices in ordinary homes with IPs verified by a residential ISP. It is best for tasks that require the highest level of anonymity.
Mobile proxies – the most flexible proxy type. Uses mobile devices that connect to the internet through cellular towers, so the IP addresses are mobile. Best for when you need to access mobile-specific data.
If price is an issue, all these types come cheaper if you share proxy access with other users. Although this isn’t recommended if you need the best performance and security. Private (also called dedicated) proxies are usually the most efficient in these respects.
Proxies can also differ by whether they are static or rotating and what proxy protocol they use. However, such technical details are best left to the IT specialist. What every business manager needs to decide for himself is the location of the proxy server.
Why Proxy Location is So Important to Speed?
Your proxy server location determines the efficiency of your business and personal tasks for two reasons. The first one has to do with the connection speed. A proxy server that is near your target will perform better than the one that is far away. This fact has a big implication for the proxy type you choose.
Even if you choose a fast datacenter proxy in the United States, it will perform worse in India than slower proxies nearby. Server proximity influences the bandwidth speed because of the network hoops your connection needs to accomplish. With every hoop, there is a different server that your connection needs to travel through.
More network hoops mean a longer connection time, which can only be reduced by having a proxy server nearby. This is crucial when you need to transfer a lot of data in a short amount of time.
Proxy location – Indian Proxy Example
Another reason why proxy location is crucial is the already mentioned data access restrictions. A US proxy might not access the same version of Indian websites. So, you will collect different pricing or branding data.
India proxy server will not only allow you to connect faster, but it will also ensure you get the data that is relevant. That’s why proxy location cannot be left to IT specialists. It’s related to business decisions on what data you actually need. Such decisions vary based on your proxy use case.
Ad verification. You will not be able to check whether your ads are presented to the right audience without targeting their location.
Web scraping. Collecting location-specific data automatically is only possible with an IP address from the targeted area.
Managing social media accounts. The terms and conditions of most platforms will not allow you to connect to an Indian account if you don’t use an IP address from India.
Additionally, in some cases, proxies are used on the server end to filter unwanted visitors or scan incoming emails. If you have a lot of such action from India, for example, having an Indian proxy is recommended.
Conclusion
Businesses must know how to make correct proxy location decisions to maximize performance and increase security. This article argues that this is not just a technical decision and illustrates it with Indian proxies as an example.
