Remote working is a concept that is becoming more and more popular with lots of different companies and workers. It works for a number of reasons for both the employer and employee – it aids flexibility, less office space is required and there’s no need for a commute – being just some of the main advantages.
However, many employers and employees also may be concerned about network safety and security when working this way. There have been many stories in the press regarding sensitive data being shared or saved to employee’s personal computers, so avoiding this at all costs is very important also.
We’ve come up with some top security tips to help keep remote workers as secure as possible:
Look into endpoint security options.
Ensuring tight protection for desktops, laptops and other endpoint systems is crucial for maintaining user productivity and preventing hackers from gaining access to your network and enterprise data, which is just as (if not more) important for remote workers. There’s a video here from Dell that explains this process further.
Ensure there are strict guidelines for information sharing and saving.
With remote workers having access to your corporate files, they’ll also have the capacity to save them (and share them) on their own computer. Therefore it’s really important that you have strict guidelines in place regarding what your workers can take home with them in terms of files and data.
Ensure computers that are used for work are updated.
If the workers are using their personal laptops or PCs, it’s a good idea to check with them that they’re up to date in terms of antivirus software and firewalls.
Take extra care when using social media.
Staying safe on social media is important for everyone, but it’s especially important if you want to keep corporate data safe whilst on a personal computer. Although some social networks claim to protect your data and will say you are in a ‘secret’ group or forum, good hackers will be able to find ways around this. There’s a useful article here for social media security tips.
Conduct training on safety and security.
If your remote employees don’t know the best ways and practices to protect your corporate data, the chances of a security breach may be quite worryingly high. Therefore it’s vital that you conduct training sessions so that even workers you don’t see in person very often are as up to speed with internet security as your regular office workers are.
Only connect to secure wireless networks.
If using your laptop in public to do some work as a remote worker, it’s vital that you’re careful when logging into a public network as these are one of the main ways in which hackers get into your sensitive data. Public networks are rarely secure, so be careful what sites you’re browsing when connected to one, as well as what files you’re sending.
