8 Ways for Businesses to Tackle Security When Employees Work from Home
With an increasing number of businesses turning to home working as a solution during these turbulent times, it’s important to consider the potential risks associated. While remote working may be second-nature to your infrastructure, for many it is a brand new frontier. And you’ll need to consider a number of factors including system access, bandwidth requirements, data sharing and access to internal IT infrastructures. With all of these being moved outside of a physical office, the risk to security increases.
There are ways for all businesses to tackle security and ensure it is prioritised throughout your workforce. Here are 8 such ways:
Educate Your Employees
While your team may be prolific in their understanding of your industry, there will be many that don’t fully understand internet security. When working in an office, the IT department is tasked with ensuring the right measures are in place to prevent any data breaches. However, with employees needing to find temporary or permanent remote setups, providing them with information about basic internet security is vital. Ensure they know to avoid public Wi-Fi connections and the importance of avoiding third-party app downloads.
Provide VPN Access
Virtual Private Networks allow you to create a secure connection with another network via the Internet. They ensure this connection is protected from hacking, making them an ideal solution for remote workers. If you already have a VPN service in place, ensure there is the capability for all employees to access this freely. If not, work with an experienced company to establish the most suitable connection for your corporate needs.
Upgrade All Security Protection
If you are providing technology to employees, such as laptops or computers, ensure all security protection is upgraded and available. If they are using their own, ask that this measure is also prioritised. You want to ensure that you have the most protection from all angles so focus on firewalls, virus checkers and encryption set-ups.
Audit Employee Passwords
Any passwords used to access sensitive information should be audited to ensure they are complex and difficult to crack. These should be changed regularly and stored safely to reduce the risk of hacking.
Update Software
Using the most up-to-date software goes hand in hand with using the most secure software. Make upgrading software mandatory for all business-owned technology and encourage employees to follow suit with personal devices too. If you can, activate automatic updates to ensure none of these are missed.
Move to the Cloud
Storing sensitive information locally opens up the possibilities for security complications. This is why businesses should move over to a cloud-based storage service - particularly during times of remote working. These systems encrypt data before it is stored, putting an extra barrier of protection over classified information.
Consider Financing Additional Bandwidth Usage
Working in a residential environment can bring a host of challenges including bandwidths that aren’t set up to withstand continual streaming or online communication. It is in these situations where employees may swap over to public wi-fi and other non-secure connections in order to complete their work. If it is financially viable, consider financing additional bandwidth for employees you expect to be working from home for the foreseeable future.
Make Back-Up Work Mandatory
While perhaps not so important when working in-house, remote workers should be encouraged to backup regularly. External hard drives are the safest way to do this but using cloud-based services may also provide the right solutions.
It doesn’t seem that remote working is going anywhere fast. And, indeed, many companies have found that this structure actually benefits them in more ways than one. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, understanding the potential security risks and how to tackle them will serve to prevent data breaches and complications as you form a structure that works. Here at Adept Networks, we work with many businesses to ensure their network connections are secure at all points. If you would like to speak to a member of our experienced team, get in contact with us here today.