Employers and employees alike are favouring remote work more and more. Globally, there are now 159 percent more people working remotely than there were in 2009. The area of cybersecurity known as remote work security is focused on safeguarding company data and other assets when employees perform their duties away from an actual workplace. Remote workers need cybersecurity because of a range of circumstances, including working from home, traveling for work, or carrying out their duties somewhere other than the company's premises.
To make remote employment a sustainable choice in the long run, businesses still need to figure out how to provide reliable cybersecurity in such settings.
While it is practical and offers numerous advantages, working from home also exposes people and companies to a variety of cybersecurity dangers. Because of this, home cybersecurity must be seriously considered. You may simply reduce the majority of cybersecurity hazards at home by adhering to basic practices.
Apps for Security & Remote Monitoring
It's essential to install a powerful antivirus and anti-malware program on each device used by your staff. This ought to automatically update from your main server on a regular basis. Prior to giving access, your internal systems should be able to verify the security level of a device.
Some workers view remote monitoring applications as big-brother-style surveillance tools, and they may be contentious. They may be a useful tool for you as an employer to make sure workers aren't exposing network vulnerabilities.
For instance, reading damaging emails or visiting malicious websites might offer backdoor access. Installing and utilizing this type of surveillance software is considerably more permissible when an employee is using corporate property.
Any possible controversies can be minimized by informing staff beforehand and providing an explanation of the decision.
Give Your Remote Employees the Right Tools
The amount of technological expertise among employees will differ. Additionally, the amount of security at home will vary amongst employees. By giving your staff protected equipment, you may avoid both of these potential problems.
Defending Your Home Network
Home networks may not always have more security risks than commercial Wi-Fi. But many individuals fail to take the straightforward actions required to protect their home network. This is due to the fact that, other from creating a password, there is minimal reason to do so for personal usage.
But there are additional safety measures you must take while utilizing a home network for work. Create a secure password that is distinct from the one that came with your router. You might accomplish this by visiting the settings page provided by your ISP.
If not, you may access your router's settings by typing 192.168.1.1 into the address bar of your browser. Additionally, you may use this page to configure network encryption (WPA2 should be the default setting; if it isn't, change it).
Make sure your home group cannot access your work device. To effortlessly exchange files and applications between numerous devices, you could have a shared homegroup setup. This turns into a vulnerability if you use your computer or laptop for work.
Controlling Access from Third Parties
This brings us to the primary problem with working from home: limiting access from other parties. You could believe that your home office is safer from outside threats. But what about your family? Even in the best of circumstances, keeping children out of a home office may be challenging.
Just try telling a five-year-old the value of data security. Do it now. We will wait. Although this is a joke, corporations may find this to be a significant problem. Given that data protection rules must be taken into account, you don't want to unintentionally provide your family access to the company servers.
In order to increase your personal security, you may use a home router to restrict network access to particular MAC addresses. The ideal practice for enterprises is to authenticate all external access requests as if they were completely fresh and to validate the access credentials each time.
Business Equipment
Your desired security settings may be pre-installed on a business laptop or desktop. Employees can get this from you along with detailed instructions for protecting their device at home. Do not assume that all personnel are knowledgeable about maintaining data security.
Apply a VPN
A common IT security practice is to safeguard your devices by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). There are extra precautions you need to take to make your VPN connection safe when employees are using this from faraway places.
For your workers' network access, you undoubtedly already utilize access credentials (usernames and passwords). This may be used in conjunction with two-factor authentication to enhance more protection. Then, utilizing your VoIP phone systems or anything comparable, employees may confirm logins.
Create a Security Plan
A properly established cybersecurity policy is the best place to start, as we have stated. You most likely have an IT policy that new personnel must accept. For the remote environment, create a comparable document.
It might be easier to maintain employees' attention on security if expectations are stated clearly. A home office's more relaxed environment frequently promotes a lower degree of security adherence. Your policy's process mapping will aid in personnel security.
Keep Your Webcams Safe
A security system may be vulnerable to external devices like webcams. Specifically for webcams, covering the lens when not in use might be beneficial. You should get particular guidance from your IT security experts for additional external devices.
Best Practice Guide for Cybersecurity in a Remote Work Environment
Many of the IT security procedures that you follow consistently in an office setting might also work well in a remote scenario. Anywhere you practice good data security, it's excellent data security.
Secure Centralized Data
Verify that no private information is being kept by your staff outside of your centralized storage system. Always make cloud storage or server-based remote storage accessible. Make sure your staff is aware that they should never locally keep company data.
Maybe you use a CRM system or another cloud-based contact center solution. Your CRM should be hosted in a virtual environment that employees may access from a distance. If this happens, you can be sure that all of your system's customer and company data is kept safe.
Training on Cybersecurity for Remote Workers
According to recent research, 54 percent of IT security experts believe remote working increases the danger to data security. But according to studies, just 55 percent of companies offer IT security training more frequently than once a year.
A key component of data security is keeping your staff informed about security measures. Cyberattack tactics and phishing schemes are always changing. This indicates that security protocols need to be updated often.
Your go-to resource for cyber security expertise is Annexus Technologies. We will take care of your online safety. You manage your affairs. To learn more, schedule a free evaluation.