Remote work offers the convenience to do your job wherever you want. But is your data - or your employer’s data - safe from ominous digital threats?
Businesses must pay extra attention to cybersecurity as team members collaborate across digital platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. Keeping sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands needs to be a top priority. And cybersecurity isn't just the IT department's responsibility - it's everyone’s.
Don’t let your data be vulnerable to attacks. Read on to find eight cybersecurity tips every remote team should implement to stay protected.
1. Use Better Passwords and Secondary Authentication
Stay away from weak passwords that contain obvious personal information. Instead, opt for unique passwords using a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols for all work-related accounts. And if you’re leading a company, make sure that your team members are doing this. Using password managers can take the tediousness out of memorization, as they can store complex passwords.
As another security upgrade, implement multi-factor authentication (MFA). With MFA, even if someone deciphers your password, that doesn’t guarantee them access to private information.
They’ll still need to enter a secondary form of authentication, such as a code that’s texted to your phone. If you receive an unsolicited code on your phone, it could mean someone is trying to hack into your account, and you may want to notify your IT department.
2. Turn to a VPN
Secure network access is essential for remote workers, many of whom rely on public Wi-Fi networks. Coffee shops and airports may be great places to crank out some tasks, but you can’t trust that the networks in shared spaces are secure.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates a secure, encrypted tunnel for internet traffic when you’re online. Trying VPN for Mac services can make it difficult for hackers to see communication between your laptop and company servers, keeping personal data secure for remote workers.
3. Focus on Training
Do your team members know how to spot a phishing scam? With phishing attacks on the rise, remote workers need to be trained to identify fake links, scam emails, and suspicious attacks. Remote employees are very vulnerable since they rely heavily on email and other digital communication tools.
Train your employees often, and advise them to steer clear of opening anything questionable, even when they’re trying to be productive and efficient. In general, it’s best to contact the sender if there’s any question about the authenticity of an email message.
4. Update Software
Software updates can feel like a disruption when you just want to get to work. But don’t delay these critical updates, as they can leave devices open to security vulnerabilities. Software developers are busy mending security holes all the time, and software updates can keep you safer from hackers.
Work with your team to set automatic updates on all devices and applications, and ask the manager to follow up on this key responsibility of remote workers. You can incentivize keeping pace with regular updates by reminding team members that updates help both the software and team members with performance.
5. Protect Sensitive Data
In short, encryption scrambles data. As a result, that data is unreadable without the correct decryption key.
When sharing sensitive information across platforms, encryption is a vital tool, and it’s wise to confirm that the platforms you’re using are encrypting communications. Further, team members should encrypt files stored on their devices so that confidential information cannot be leaked.
6. Create Device Management Policies
What happens if a team member’s device is lost or stolen? Since these devices can contain sensitive company data, the entire network could be at risk. Company leaders must craft clear device management policies instructing employees to secure their devices.
Instructions can require strong passwords or institute remote-wipe capabilities for all devices used for work functions. Mobile Device Management (MDM) software can facilitate oversight in this process. Business managers can remotely monitor employees' devices so everyone is compliant.
7. Designate Devices for Work Purposes
The safest decision is always to separate personal devices from work devices. Team members who access work systems from their personal devices compromise work-related data. And it’s unlikely their personal devices meet the company’s security standards.
You may need to outline a policy requiring team members to use separate devices for work and personal activities in their home office. If that’s not possible, enforce clear protocols, like using antivirus software and encryption, for personal devices.
8. Do Regular Backups
Human error or hacking can cause data loss or breaches. As such, remote workers need to be diligent about doing regular backups to data. With regular backups using cloud-based solutions, it is possible to restore lost data.
Setting automatic backups may be the best option so busy team members don’t need to worry about manual ones. Doing this simple step can save hours of work and prevent irreparable data loss.
Keep Your Remote Work Secure
Remote teams must keep their finger on the pulse of the latest cybersecurity protections. While digital collaborations are convenient and efficient, cybersecurity threats can derail progress in a hurry and open up your company to data loss. Implement strategies like password protection and data encryption to keep your remote workforce secure - and don’t wait until it’s too late.
