A VPN or Virtual Private Network Service Provider is a kind of service provider (also called host) that offers VPN services to end users or organizations. It provides its clients with a secure and private network that connects one or more locations, intranets or local networks together.
A VPN extends a private network across a public network like Internet. It enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing equipment were directly connected to the virtual private network.
In addition to providing a private network connection, a VPN service provider also provides proxy servers to its users/clients to access restricted websites or content, and to protect their privacy. This enables users to access restricted website anonymously without even disclosing their identity and location.
A VPN services can be provided in the forms of:
Public VPN: A VPN can be hosted and accessed through Internet or public network.
Hosted/Cloud VPN: In this form of service, a user connects to over a web-based (cloud) VPN connection.