With remote work remaining popular, employees can benefit from flexibility and work-life balance, but at the cost of certain challenges on the business side. The big one is security, as your network ends up spread out across multiple locations rather than siloed in-house. Here are three rules you should consider when planning out how to approach remote work.
Protect Your At-Home Wi-Fi
Security at home is non-negotiable for the remote worker.
If you haven’t already equipped your wireless network with a strong password, you should do so immediately. Additionally, you should change the default name and password if you haven’t done so already, as manufacturers will share this information online in case users need to find it. Be sure that your wireless network is also using the latest Wi-Fi security protocol—if this sounds foreign to you, just let us know and we’ll be happy to explain it to you.
This next solution helps to protect data while it’s moving to and from your network.
Implement a Virtual Private Network
With a VPN, you can keep your data secure even on an unsecured wireless network, making it valuable for a remote or traveling employee.
A VPN creates a secure, encrypted tunnel connecting your business’ infrastructure to the employee’s device. If a hacker tries to steal or monitor data while it travels along the network, they’ll see an encrypted bundle of data. A VPN is a solid tool that can help your business conduct operations from anywhere, even in places like airports and coffee shops where you cannot guarantee the safety of the wireless network.
Managing Mobile Devices
With so many devices accessing your network, it becomes important that you have a way to manage them.
Since you have smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, and other devices accessing your network, you’ll want a comprehensive way to manage them all and keep tabs on them. First, you’ll want to keep software updated, including their operating systems and antivirus/antimalware tools. You’ll also want to keep their password updated and ensure they have implemented multi-factor authentication to protect against theft or account stealing.
Don’t let security hold you back from remote possibilities. Learn more by calling us today at (604) 513-9428.
