Work From Home Solutions | Lincoln, CA
A work from home solution is the new normal in our COVID-19 universe.
As one Adept Solutions’ team member explained: “I’ll be a bit late to my office. Traffic is crazy. There was a massive pile-up of a bike, a helmet, frozen toys and a shoe blocking the entrance to the off-ramp to my home office this morning.”
Working remotely can be a crisis necessity—or an employee perk—or a way into an emerging market.
For whatever reason you have employees dodging toys on the way to their home office, you must have a strong remote work strategy to be successful in this new normal.
We can assist companies with implementing work from home solutions and remote office technology infrastructure for businesses in the Lincoln, CA area. Home office technology gives your business flexibility across devices, locations, and users while maintaining your network security and accessibility. Connect with our team today to discuss!
Remote Office Technology Has Numerous Benefits For Your Business
Working remotely can be good for business. Adept’s CEO, Larry Johnson, explains in this blog article, “It’s a Remote Possibility” that productivity and lifework balance increases while expenses decrease.
However, the elephant in this room of positivity is added security risks.
Increased Security Risks. Remote work can increase your security vulnerability.
Increased Security Risks
Employees nestled in office locations work on devices protected with multiple layers of security. But once they walk out the office door, a data breach could be just around the corner.
The following practices can help secure your remote workforce.
1. Remote Work Policy
Create a Remote Work Policy that clearly outlines your company’s expectations of remote workers. Employees should read, agree, sign off on, and be accountable for this information. Much of the information that follows could be included in this policy.
An Acceptable Use Policy, which is also critical to your IT security program, defines what employees can and cannot do with company IT resources. Your Remote Work Policy can be included as a section in this policy.
2. Devices
Provide company devices and ensure your IT department installs essential security tools such as a firewall and antivirus software and provides ongoing updates to the OS, applications, firmware, etc. They should also monitor electronic traffic for any security concerns. Requesting a web filter will ensure workers only access content and sites needed for work.
Keep work data on work computers. Use personal computers for life outside of work; use work computers for work—and never mix the two! By introducing a personal computer to the company network, you could put your company and your job at risk.
Password protect devices and enable automatic screen locks.
Keep devices secure by keeping them in sight or locked. Never leave devices in a car. Consider physically securing computers in public places with locking cables or locking laptop bags.
Create a reporting procedure, so employees know what to do if their device is stolen or lost.
3. Connection
Create a secure connection to the office. Consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or remote computer access. Your IT provider should recommend what connection is best for your circumstances.
Consider creating a separate, external network for remote access only. Then if a breach occurs, it won’t spread to other parts of the network.
Never use public chargers. If you need to charge a device at a public charging station, use a USB data blocker to prevent data exchange.
Secure the home network. Update the router firmware and make sure it has a strong password. WIFI should have WPA-2 or higher encryption with a strong password.
4. The Cloud
Keeping files and services in the cloud is one of the best ways to keep data secure. Applications such as Microsoft 365 stores data that can be accessed from any location. They also make file sharing and collaboration easy for your team.
5. Encryption
Encrypt your data at every point possible, but at a minimum, encrypt business emails.
6. Passwords and MFA (multi-factor authentication)
Require a strong password policy and encourage employees to use a password manager.
Using MFA is far more secure than using a password alone. MFA should be enabled whenever possible.
7. Privileges
Need-to-know access only. Segmenting privileges means if an employee’s account is compromised, the hacker’s access is limited.
Limit admin access. The only people who should have admin access are your IT team, and they should use it only when performing work that requires it.
8. Training
Security Awareness Training should be required of all employees, including remote workers. Employees are the weakest link in your cybersecurity. Even if all the above security precautions are in place, one employee clicking on one phishing email can compromise your company.
A good IT Security Training program will include best practices for phishing emails, passwords, malware prevention, social engineering, web browsing, working remotely, mobile devices, removable media, confidential data, and physical security.
Keeping your remote workers secure can be a challenge, but it can be done! IT security is critical to protecting your company’s data, reputation, and finances.