How Secure is Your Remote Working Environment?

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, businesses across the country have been forced to go remote, with employees and employers working in a virtual environment.

While many companies are adequately prepared to go remote at the drop of a hat, others have had a more difficult time adapting leaving many business owners and organization administrators worried about the security of their company data.

For any enterprise to successfully adapt to a remote work environment, there are certain resources that every employee should have, including:

• A desktop or laptop computer
• A reliable high-speed internet connection
• Applications for virtual conferencing and chat on private servers, and
• Possibly a smartphone in the very likely event an employee is away from his or her computer.

But having access and the right tools isn’t enough.  Having other people in the home and sharing internet access and resources, exposes your data to breaches, improper downloads, possible data loss, and of course hackers and malware.  That’s why it’s important for businesses to do what they can to maximize the security of company data over all of these resources.

Implementing At-Home Security Measures

Here are some security measures that businesses should consider integrating into their operations:

• Require employees to log out when not using company devices – Even at home, another family member such as a child could perform an undesired action such as accidentally sending an email to a colleague, customer, or boss if a device is left unlocked.
• Implement a good password policy – All passwords should be secure for all logins when accessing remote devices or applications.
• Use full-disk encryption – With a fully encrypted device, even if unauthorized individuals attempt to access it, they will be unable to view any sensitive data.
• Ensure all data is stored on business servers via VPN or in the cloud so that data can’t be lost on a device.
• Make sure you are using a business grade VPN. Common VPN’s are more vulnerable to hacking especially right now.
• Install a firewall that matches the size/scope/risk of your organization. The lack of the proper firewalls makes your data susceptible to viruses and malware.

Encouraging Employees to Practice Diligence When Working from Home

As your business shifts to remote work, request employees to conduct a self-audit of their network’s security before using company devices or any BYOD’s (Bring Your Own Devices). Employees working at home can take steps to maintain security such as developing strong passwords for business and personal accounts and updating all of their hardware and software.

You may also want to make sure that employees have a proper antivirus app that proactively monitors or scans for and identifies any insecure devices or connections.

Taking these steps can help you and your staff more readily adapt to a remote work environment while maintaining that same high level of security that they would in the office.

If you would like us to audit your remote security systems, contact us to set up a time to conduct an audit.