Working remotely is popular today. It’s a means of necessity rather than a privilege. More organizations and companies are working with people working for them worldwide, thus making remote work a crucial part of every company. Remote work poses a lot of risk and security challenges for companies. Some of the problems they might encounter are data breach, leak of sensitive information, and other malicious attacks online.
Companies must implement policies and rules to ensure the company’s safety and the worker is exposed to this kind of working environment to alleviate security risk. To prevent this risk from happening, companies must impose/implement best practices on how to improve their security against the elements in the cyberworld. This article is some of the best security measures on how to secure remote work and improve your security and avoid data breaches and attacks from hackers etc.
Also See: 5 Ways Technology Can Help Your Business
How To Secure Remote Work?
Best Practice For Working Remotely
Companies of all sizes are not immune to cyberattacks, and remote work became necessary for a modern organization. But working remotely poses a risk from online attackers and hackers. Below is some of the best practice to do in working remotely
- Avoid public network/Wi-Fi
Why do you have to avoid public Wi-Fi? Public Wi-Fi has a lot of risks. A person connected to the same network can access your data freely. That person can steal sensitive information and data, so be careful connecting to a public network to avoid it as long as possible.
- Use a Business Vpn
Using a Business VPN can protect your data. It creates a secure connection and encrypts your data. Using VPNs has many benefits. It masks your IP address, mock location, bypassing websites and apps, and other useful things. This software can help you from attackers, but it’s not enough as VPNs are just the first layer of defence from attackers. That is why companies like Perimeter 81 offer a more holistic approach to cybersecurity issues faced by companies
- Encrypt your Data
Data encryption is crucial in securing your personal data and sensitive information. If someone intercepted your data, they could not read it because it’s encrypted. Sending important data and emails, so data encryption is a must thing to do in any organization. If there are unfortunate circumstances that happen, like a laptop has been lost or stolen, if you encrypt your data, you don’t have to worry anymore as it will become useless and unreadable because it’s encrypted. As long as they can’t decipher or decrypt it, they will not see nor read it,
- Be aware in your working environment
It’s not safe to work remotely, and working outside of your home is riskier. Why? For example, you are currently working on an important task that the company gave you and many people. You should always be aware of your surroundings, cover your keyboards while typing login credentials, and always take your laptops, cellphones near you at all times. Do not ever leave it because it might get stolen along with your sensitive information and important data.
- Avoid installing applications
Don’t ever install unnecessary applications on your working computer because other applications out there have malware, spyware, and other kinds of viruses. The company will provide an application that is needed in your work.
Ways to Secure Remote Workers
- Teach basic countermeasures
Teach your employee some basic knowledge to counter common cyberattacks like phishing. Security awareness training can help your employee and your company in the long run. There are many benefits to teaching your employee basic knowledge about cyber-attacks. The most significant benefit you can reap out of this is less compromised data and leak of sensitive information. Give them training about potential threats so that in the future, they can counter it with themselves. Risk management can really help your employee in future events.
- Use MFA for advanced security
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) requires two or more verification to access a certain account or workspace. Username and password are no longer effective in a modern organization as it poses a lot of risks. Enabling MFA is far safer and more reliable in keeping your accounts and data safe as you’re the only one who can access it.
- Always be prepared
Threats are always present in this kind of environment. The best practice in keeping your data and sensitive information is always to be prepared. Working remotely is vulnerable to many forms of cyberattacks. Being prepared and well equipped with the knowledge, especially on countering these attacks, is a must.
- Know who you are connecting to
Every organization must educate their employees about the types of risks and threats they will face in this kind of setup. Do not connect to a public network or Wi-Fi because other people connected on the same network might steal your data. Using a VPN also is crucial in keeping your data safe. Why? VPN creates a secure network, masks your IP address, and at the same time, encrypts your data. Never trust a public network and should be avoided.
- Provide work devices
The company should provide a device to use in working because it’s safer than using personal devices. Working devices should be updated regularly to avoid any security problems. Working devices that are password protected by an advanced password manager application are relatively suitable working devices for a remote worker.
- Manage Remote Desktop Access
Configure the remote desktop with password manager and other software that can fortify its security. Only the ones who have been authorized can access it via the login credentials or code. Limit also remote access with certain data stored in the company’s server.
In a modern environment where work from home is becoming popular in all kinds of organizations of all sizes, large or small, ensuring safety is the priority. Creating a policy for a remote worker is very important. Without policy and rules, there will be a higher risk of cyber-attacks and hackers. Remember, keep your devices, e.g., mobile devices, personal computers, and laptops, up to date and update the security application such as an anti-virus. These are the best practices and ways on how to secure remote work. There are a lot of effective ways to begin this and see the results for yourself.
