In 2020, Connectify’s Speedify VPN saw its users double due to remote work

While the promise of 5G cellular technology is captivating technophiles worldwide, it’s gamers and fans of video calls who are most likely to notice the difference from 4G service, said Connectify cofounder and CEO Alex Gizis.

To help everyday internet users work even faster, his 12-year-old, Center City-based company is focusing on its virtual private network, Speedify.

Connectify offers a suite of internet connectivity products, such as its Connectify Hotspot service, which turns users’ PCs into Wi-Fi hotspots. Its Speedify service allows users to use multiple internet connections at the same time, and faster.

VPNs, which establish a secure connection between a user and the internet, have seen an increase in usage among tech consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By creating Speedify as a VPN, Gizis said Connectify has a product no one one could spy on that offers added accessibility by using different devices’ Wi-Fi at the same time. If the Wi-Fi on a network is strong, Speedify devices will use it instead of mobile data. But in situations where Wi-Fi access may be spotty, Speedify can provide a speed boost for users.

Gizis told Technical.ly that sales for Speedify spiked in 2020 as the product doubled its number of users, though he didn’t share specific figures. And with remote work among professionals significantly increasing during the pandemic, optimizing Speedify to make sure users’ Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls go as smooth as possible became a top priority.

Gizis believes Speedify is the fastest VPN in the world and he and his team have plans to make it even faster. He’s noticed that on certain networks, certain protocols go faster than others.

“We’re getting a lot of calls from businesses in using it for their employees,” he said. “They want levels of reporting on how much faster their average user’s internet is.”

Speedify, which launched in 2015, is gearing up for a big 2021. A major mobile carrier has already licensed it for use in the near future and details of the deal will become public later this year, Gizis said. Other carriers have interest in the app and and its potential to improve service.

Speedify is available for Windows, Mac iOS, Android smartphones and Linux.

Michael Butler is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.