Nowadays, many businesses are transitioning to a remote workforce. Employees benefit from the flexibility and convenience of working from anywhere in the world, and employers save on real estate costs. Although it is a mutually beneficial model, it does present some challenges for keeping business data secure. If you’ve already gone to great lengths to protect the data on your cloud-based system on your end, don’t ignore the measures you’ll need for your employees to follow suit.
Securing Devices
Employees’ smartphones and laptops become a security risk every time they are away from home with their devices. Portable technology can easily become lost or stolen, and prying eyes can glimpse sensitive files if workers aren’t vigilant about closing out of documents and locking screens while away from workspaces. Offering an online seminar about security is a great way to remind employees of the best practices for keeping physical property and company data safe.
Safeguarding Connections
With employees working off-site, the types of internet connections they use become paramount to securing sensitive business data. Using unsecured public networks is generally out of the question, but even when employees are working from home, their wireless routers must be properly configured with security in mind. Check with your technology provider or team for their recommendations, and see if they can help set up employees who need assistance.
Managing Passwords
Secure passwords are always essential, but consider increasing the frequency of required updates for employees working remotely. Not only will it tighten security on devices where workers frequently store passwords, it will also provide an added layer of protection if there is a data breach on employee login information as passwords will expire on their own.
Moving to a virtual workforce is a challenge for protecting company data, but implementing smart practices for employees will keep your business safe during these changing times.