Keeping sensitive data secure is one of the trickiest things about having a remote workforce. As more and more companies allow their employees to work from home, it’s becoming increasingly important to figure out how to protect data when people aren’t in the office.
Remote work has created new vulnerabilities, and companies need to be proactive in securing their data. That’s why it’s so important to understand the risks and develop strategies to manage them. If security is not taken seriously, you can lose your business if there is a data breach or a hacker hijacks it. In this article, we will go over several ways to maintain security when you have a lot of remote workers.
Set up a virtual private network (VPN)
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is an excellent tool for remote workers for extra security. It encrypts your internet connection and routes your network traffic through a secure VPN server. This makes it much harder for hackers to steal sensitive information, like passwords or financial data.
Another benefit of using a VPN is that it hides your IP address, making it harder for cybercriminals to track your online activities or find your location. Plus, it can help you access websites and online services that might be restricted in your area.
There are a lot of different VPN providers out there, and they all have different strengths and weaknesses. The critical thing to look for is one with sound patch management. This means they send out security patches regularly to ensure they close any vulnerabilities in the code.
Provide regular security awareness training.
It’s crucial to give regular security awareness training to your team. This way, they’ll know what to look out for, like common phishing tactics and how to spot suspicious emails. But it’s not enough to tell them, show them.
Conduct simulated phishing exercises to give them real-world examples of phishing emails. That way, they’ll know what to do when they see something fishy. Also, ensure a transparent process for reporting and responding to phishing attempts.
Your employees should know who to contact and what to do if they receive a suspicious email. And have a designated team responsible for monitoring and responding to phishing attempts so that any potential threats can be quickly identified and addressed.
Limit the use of personal devices.
When your employees are working from home, they might use their laptops, smartphones, and tablets to access company data. This can make it hard to keep everything secure. But there’s a way to fix that: Implement a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy.
This way, you’ll have clear guidelines for how your employees can use their devices for work. Don’t forget about encryption and VPNs; these will ensure that all the data transmitted is secure.
