A proxy server is a middleman where it stands between the user and the website. When you want to access content to a website, you send a request. That request reaches the proxy servers first rather than the website which needs to be accessed.

So what happens is when the proxy server receives the request it changes the IP address and sends the request to the website. Once the website approves the content it is sent back to the proxy server who acts as a protective wall for any risks and then it finally reaches you.

The reasons why a proxy server is a great medium for any business security because:

1. It helps to balance the traffic that a user and an application will engage in

2. It helps to protect users to access only risk-free information

3. It helps in conducting online activities which are restricted such as geo-locations more effectively

4. Refrains hackers from trying to hack into the system to steal data or information about your products

5. Speeds up your engagement or other activities with your users with a good bandwidth so that business functions without any delays.

Proxies are more than just its terminologies, when used in a business it can contribute to a highly efficient and secure working environment.

Let’s learn deeper how proxies are beneficial to your brand.

1. MANAGING MULTIPLE REQUESTS

As you are aware proxy servers are the tools that will cater to the requests before it even reaches the actual source you wish to retrieve. This is a great medium as all the proxy servers serve its purpose well. When a user wants to access a website, the main reason for them getting blocked is because they failed to pass the restriction test. 

Many websites either only let certain locations to access or none at all and if you don’t fall under that category, chances are you can get blocked. With proxies, what it does is simply change your IP address so that when the request is sent it displays your identity from that location.

Apart from this at times proxy servers can receive multiple requests where they then segregate which requests need to go where. For instance, a few requests would be to view all English language requests or some other language so the proxy servers allocate the right application servers to contribute towards fulfilling the request

2. TAKING CARE OF TLS ACTIVITIES

To conduct any service online the most crucial factor is to always have a secured connection. TLS also referred to as SSL is an example of a secure connection. For TLS, it requires cryptographic verifications and signing. This means that it can take up a lot of computation work in order to process every request. But with proxies, this action is conducted in a better way. 

With proxies, this action can be managed more smoothly. With the help of unencrypted HTTP, they can conduct this action filling the priority that all connections are in a secure environment physically. However, you need to ensure that the proxies are always a part of the LAN or MPIS network.

For the TLS certification there it can be self-signed and also be considered as the only certification required. Always ensure that your TLS software is up to date for a good security measure so that proxies to limit the internet devices being saved more easily.

3. MANAGING USER’S ACTIVITIES

Another essential factor that requires the assistance of proxy servers is to authenticate user activities. Say if a request has been sent proxy servers ensure that the session has been logged in. If in case the opposite happens, it requires an authorized user to conduct the action then.

One the user is logged in it verifies whether the source can perform the action hence if it cannot, an error message is sent. Session timings are always on the lookout for proxies to ensure that less number of people stop forgetting to log out. Conducting such a regular action will only help to avoid any minute mistakes which could spark an opportunity for hackers to intervene in the system.

4. TAKES CARE OF OTHER ONLINE ACTIVITIES

Whether it is compression of responses or redirecting the responses in the right place, proxy servers are well aware of the action that needs assistance. For instance, when you compress responses the bandwidth reduces and there is more room for response times.

As mentioned proxies can also conduct the job of redirecting responses to another location without even taking the assistance of the application server. It can also manage any upgrades taking place between HTTP and HTTPS as well as send responses such as ‘not available’ in the right format.

Proxies also help in enhancing analytic actions as it logs all the requests. It can conduct this analytic job on it's by converting the data into statistics and graphs for insightful actions to be conducted easily.

5. ORGANIZE LOAD BALANCING

A load balancing refers to a balancer who segregates jobs to numerous servers so that every line is managing the processing levels better. The best thing is this load balancer can also be a part of the proxy server's functioning as well.

Some applications require the need of all requests in a session to go to the same server which a proxy server can do exceptionally. Using this method proxy servers can depend on session identifiers and segregate the requests outwards accordingly. At times the requests demand more resources to accompany its existence which a proxy server can successfully cater to.

6. CONDUCTING EFFICIENT SCALING ACTIVITIES

When you distance application servers away from network perimeters, conducting scaling activities becomes much easier. The great thing here is proxy servers have no need to understand anything surrounding the IP address their main focus is with the new servers and what request limitations they have. 

7. CACHES DATA WHEN NEEDED

Caches are conducted when the data required doesn't need to trigger attention to be completed. The purpose of the cache is to store data so that when the user wants to view the same, it doesn’t have to send a request again. 

However, storing data in cache has a time duration which is evident in the server’s response headers. If the need arises to extend the content date, the server will send a request to the caching proxy to fulfill the need.

8. RETAINING STATIC CONTENT

There are times where few data will remain static. What happens is such data doesn’t require the need to be cached; it can be easily stored on a proxy server or be managed by another server. The content could be anything from images to CSS and even videos. 

9. EXHIBITS A BETTER PERFORMANCE

What a proxy server does if it was conducted without it the need for multiple hardware additions would cost a lot of revenue for any business. The great thing is that the proxy server does this all for you without any minimal effort. From monitoring your user's repetitive activities to ensuring that whatever the needs of users are fulfilled more easily and quickly, proxy servers are a great cost-effective method. From ensuring to create a protective wall for no hackers to enter and steal data to also keeping an eye that all activities are being conducted well, a proxy server functions in a manner that can help in the [productive growth for any business.

A proxy server has a higher bandwidth, faster internet speed which is the main ingredient to conduct processing activities quicker, as well as its protective shield, ensures no damages are caused due to unauthorized interruptions. Proxies are very reliable and every step it conducts contributes to a secure business environment.

For instance if a business deals with proxy servers they are offering a service which can help many of their users online such as protecting them from accessing harmful data access or hiding their identity to ensure any website can be accessed, a proxy server not only benefits a user it also shares the benefits with a business as well.

Now a proxy server is what can help you conduct multiple activities, but as stated earlier the purpose of this article isn’t just to secure you but to also help you in your lead growth simultaneously hence the next solution we are going to share with you is just what your business needs.

Web scraping is the process of extracting information from a source or website which contains valuable information and scraping all of that and saving it in your system in the format you would like to view it in such as CSV file and much more.

Previously, if a company needed to extract information from a website, they would opt for the method of copy-pasting. But the drawback here was when it comes to large data the copy-pasting would consume a lot of time to conduct the action and when you copy-paste big data the website slows down alerting the owner of suspicious activity.

But with web scraping, this isn’t the case. In just a few minutes you can easily extract information without slowing down the website which is why it has grown to be popular. To conduct web scraping activities is convenient, all you need to is:

1. Select the website/source you want to scrape

2. Choose the data which you needs scraping

3. Run the web scraping code

4. Save it all in your system

You can get started with the web scraping languages.

1. PYTHON

Python is one of the most common coding languages. With reference to web scraping languages, this is popularly used for such a process. For any web scraping activities, Python is considered to be the finest in ensuring that this process is conducted without any errors.

Factors:

1. Beneficial tool for web scraping because it includes two impactful frameworks which matters while conducting this process, Scrapy, and Beautiful Soup.

2 . The use of ‘Beautiful Soup’ application in python is intended for quick and efficient data extraction practices.

3. It contains advanced web scraping libraries which makes Python a better hit when compared to the remaining web scraping languages.

4. It contains a variety of the finest data visualization libraries for users like you to function better with.

2. NODE.JS

Node.js is most suited for data crawling activities that practice dynamic coding activities. It also supports distributed crawling practices. Node.js uses Javascript to conduct non-blocking applications which can help enhance multiple simultaneous events that would be taking place. 

Factors:

1 . Beneficial for streaming activities

2. Can conduct API’s as well as socket-based activities

3. Has a built-in library

4. Can conduct basic web scraping data extraction activities

5. Has a basic stable communication

3. RUBY

Ruby is considered to be one of the open-source programming languages. It has a user-friendly syntax which is easy to understand and can be practiced and applied without any hassles. The greatest feature of Ruby is that it consists of multiple languages such as Perl, Smalltalk, Eiffel, Ada, Lip along with another new language. Ruby is well aware of how it needs to balance functional programming with the assistance of imperative programming.

Factors:

1. It is a simple web scraping languages

2. It is more on the productive process

3. No signs of code repetition take place

4. You require less writing for such a language

5. This language is supported by a community of users

6. Supports multithreading

4. C & C++

C and C++ are a great execution solution but it can be costly when it comes to conducting web scraping. Prowebscraper recommends, ‘’it is not advisable to use these languages to set up a crawler unless it’s a specialized organization that you have in mind, focusing only on extracting data.’’

Factors:

1 . Simple to understand

2. Can write own HTML parsing library according to your requirements

3. Can conduct such a web scraping language better with dynamic coding

4. It can help to parallelize any scraper you use without any effort

5. PHP

PHP may not be able to be the ideal choice when it comes to the creation of a crawler program. In order to extract information such as graphics, images, videos, and other visual forms, using a CURL library is better. The best thing about the curl library is that it can help to transfer files with the help of protocol lists which have HTTP and FTP in it. Having this can help you in the creation of web spiders which could be utilized to download any kind of information from the online platform.

Factors:

1 . Uses 39 MB of RAMusage

2. Uses 3% of CPU usage

3. It runs 723 pages per 10 minutes

To help you get your web scraping game on, we have covered the top tricks for your business no matter which industry you are in.

1. WEB SCRAPING FOR DATA SCIENTISTS

Data scientists depend highly on data. With valuable data, they are able to identify the solutions which can help to solve the problems being addressed. For many businesses, having data scientists to help create predictable solutions that could enhance their brand for the future is very important. Hence data is what will help a business to identify how exactly can they create, monitor and apply successful strategies.

Tips & Tricks: There is a lot of information available online. With the web, scraping data scientists can scrape through all the relevant information required and closely monitor the data for the creation of effective solutions. Instead of downloading all the information available, web scraping lets you scrape the information which you require.

2. WEB SCRAPING FOR CONTENT MARKETING

‘’72% of marketers say content marketing increases engagement.’’ Many brands today depend highly on content marketing. From creating insightful blogs to the creation of engaging video content, content is one of the greatest ways to grab the prospect's attention and draw them towards a brand more quicker and easier.

Tips & Tricks: With web scraping, you can easily conduct efficient content marketing. There are multiple blogs, use cases, infographics, videos being posted and created each day, how can you identify which topics work and which will drive more engagement and attention? With web scraping this is easy. What happens is you can easily scrape which topics prospects are interested to read about, what type of videos are they expecting to see, how long they want the blog to be, what interests them in content and much more. Gathering all this information helps to plan your content marketing strategies with more clarity.

3. WEB SCRAPING IN A REAL ESTATE BUSINESS

The real estate market has witnessed a tremendous change for the past few years. The rise of technology has made it easier for agents and brokers to showcase a property without having to be physically present. Even when it comes to sales, cold calls and emails are not the only way to capture leads, even content is playing a vital role in educating and pulling the attention of warm leads. Selling a house is not easy, but with the right information such as stats and understanding your prospect's needs, it becomes one step easy.

Tips & Tricks: Web scraping is a great solution to help agents and brokers to sell better to potential prospects. With web scraping one can easily scrape through lead information via any source such as social media also web scraping can even help to provide valuable data with reference to what prospects think when they want to purchase a property, what the exact needs are and how they are looking at agents or brokers to assist them. Having such a piece of valuable information helps to sell better as well as waste no time in identifying what prospects actually need.

4. WEB SCRAPING FOR PRICING COMPARISONS

Pricing is one of the key ingredients for any business. Pricing is important because it is the one thing that prospects consider when comparing two separate brands. For instance, if you sell your solution for $45 and your competitors are selling for $48, prospects definitely will choose one which adds more value and is budget-friendly. Hence creating an effective pricing strategy matters and is important to develop a better competitive edge.

Tips & Tricks: Web scraping can help brands to scrape through competitor's websites so that one is well aware of how their pricing strategies function. Having an idea of several competitors' pricing strategies can help a brand to understand what the difference is and how they can place an effective strategy that will grab the attention of prospects. Scraping all that information and closely monitoring it will reap a brand the benefits of properly analyzing and effective pricing curation.

5. WEB SCRAPING TO CONDUCT EFFICIENT LEAD GENERATION ACTIVITIES

Capturing leads and then converting them as a qualified lead isn’t a simple task. Many brands commit the mistake of capturing the wrong leads and nurturing them without even understanding completely whether these leads will add value to their business. To top that even when the leads have been recognized, nurturing them and understanding their needs are not conducted timely which again enforces a band to incur the loss of potential leads.

Tips & Tricks: With web scraping, such mishaps can be avoided. Web scraping scrapes through relevant lead information so that you are contacting only the potential prospects. Also scraping through valuable data will also help a brand to understand how to nurture a lead and when the next action would be. Web scraping doesn’t just provide valuable data in hand, it also helps to align an effective strategy which will help you to conduct efficient lead generation activities without any hassles.

But amongst all these actions, which is the best proxy for you because there are many such proxies such as datacenter proxies and more. But for a business like yours, we know that residential proxies are just what your business needs.

Residential proxies offer multiple IP addresses via Internet service providers to homeowners. They are growing in popularity because they offer a higher anonymity level and have a lower rate of IPs getting blocked. The IP addresses offered by residential proxies are secure since they are attached to physical locations. 

Let’s learn deeper about residential proxies by understanding the benefits they will give your brand with its presence.

1. PERFECT FOR ANONYMOUS ACTIONS ONLINE

Since residential proxies offer a high level of anonymity, there are lesser chances for you to be tracked or getting your IP blocked since the IP addresses are secured, there are lesser or no chances of you getting stopped during any activities that you do online.

2. LESSER CHANCES OF GETTING BLOCKED

When you have great security in the form of reliable IP addresses, it is confident that you have lesser chances of getting blocked. 

3. BETTER CONNECTION SPEED ONLINE

With residential proxies, there are very few instances where a connection lost or time out takes place which means that your online activity is always working and running great when you get online.

4. SCRAPE DATA BETTER

When you have a faster connection and lesser connections being lost, chances are your scraping data actions can be better. 

5. UNBLOCK CONTENT FROM RESTRICTED SOURCES

Residential proxies are great when it comes to accessing content from restricted sources. To conduct such an action you require a great proxy server assistance that can help you securely conduct this action, which is why residential proxies are the better fit.

There are multiple residential proxy services that can help you get started with this proxy. We have covered the best ones for you.

1. SMARTPROXY

Smart proxy offers residential proxies that will suit any kind of business. This proxy is best suited for any type of use such as web scraping, social media managers, and more. In case you need any assistance with residential proxies, this proxy server offers 24/7 support. It has a great dashboard to track the traffic and has a 3-day money-back guarantee.

2. MICROLEAVES

This proxy server also referred to as Shifter, offers residential proxies as well as other proxies such as SOCKS and more. It is another great residential proxy server that offers unlimited bandwidth and offers more than 26 million IPs. They offer great pricing which is best suited for any business that wishes to avail of their residential proxies. 

3. GEOSURF

GeoSurf too offers residential proxies that are best suited for beginners. It offers over 2.5 million unique IP addresses. When it comes to speed in actions online, this proxy service provider is the better option. It covers over 199 locations and no matter which plan you choose of theirs, the IP addresses list will never be compromised.

4. STORM PROXIES

Storm Proxies also offers residential proxies. It is affordable and offers what it's priced for. It offers a great network of backconnect residential proxies. It also offers a 24-hour money-back guarantee, and also offers a rotating residential proxy.