5 Ways to Help Ensure Cyber Security While Working Remotely

In order to be proactive with cybersecurity, it’s important that your entire organization is aware of potential cyber threats, especially those working remotely. There are multiple ways hackers can access sensitive company information. Phishing is a common tactic used by hackers, they send fake emails and messages imitating employees in your organization requesting sensitive information. Ransomware, wireless hijacking, and eavesdropping are other common methods cyber hackers target remote workers. Ensure your organization is educated on the potential cyber threats they could be exposed to.

The transition to in-office and remote work can be complicated and confusing for employees. Establishing specific measures to help make the transition easier will help ensure your organization’s cyber security. Policies and procedures will help remote workers understand the acceptable use of corporate devices and how to safely manage confidential company information. Furthermore, ensure your employees know the right person to contact if they experience security issues or misplace their devices holding sensitive information.

Having remote employees working on personal devices and unprotected networks poses a risk to organizations’ cyber security. Whether working from corporate or personal devices, your remote team should employ protective measures on all devices. Multi-factor authentication, password enabled screensavers, automatic updates and turning wifi and bluetooth off when devices are not in use are proactive measures remote workers can take to help protect against hackers.

There’s a variety of security tools out there that add additional layers of protection to your organization’s networks and devices, enabling further defense of sensitive information. Firewalls monitor all incoming and outgoing traffic from your device and serve as a security barrier between networks, controlling what information can be shared between different networks. A VPN secures data shared between networks by way of encryption, ensuring your organization has private communication channels through potentially insecure networks.

Whether you realize it or not, your organization collects an immense amount of data and information on a daily basis. This is why it’s important for all employees to back-up information regularly and keep it securely stored to reduce the risk of losing any data. This is an especially crucial practice for remote workers who use their personal devices for work as they are less protected and more susceptible to cyber threats. Encrypting information and controlling access are other good ways to protect confidential information and prevent data breaches.

Whether you’re working in the office or remotely, keeping your organization’s information secure is a top priority. Ensuring employees are informed on cyber threats and aware of company policies is the best place to start in helping defend against cyber attacks. Protection and security tools add additional layers of defense, while routine back-ups will help ensure you don’t lose any important information. As the world continues to shift to more and more remote work opportunities, keeping up with these best practices will help organizations ensure cyber security while working remotely.