5 tips to keep businesses secure whilst remote working

With more people forced to work remotely, keeping business data secure can become a challenge.

Here’s five important tips for successful data security when your business is being operated from the homes of workers.

1. Knowledge is power!

There’s nothing more important that briefing your team on your organisations data security policies and giving them some general advice on keeping company data secure. So, as staff begin to work from home it’s a good idea to organise a conference call for your team, followed up by a written confirmation of the policies.

When discussing staying safe digitally you may want to discuss points including; updating simple passwords, not opening suspicious email attachments, avoiding websites that may not be legitimate, to name just a few.

In terms of offline data security you’ll want to ensure documents are stored securely, they don’t give out confidential details over the phone and any regulatory standards are met. Refreshing your workforce on the possible consequences of not following such guidelines is more relevant now than ever before!

2. Migrate to cloud services

More often than not, employees can fall into the trap of having a jam-packed desktop full of vital company information.

Why should this be avoided?

Put simply, if the computer were to be stolen or hacked your confidential data could fall into the wrong hands or be lost forever. You also run the risk of losing data should the computer fail or be accidentally damaged. Protecting data from these such risks is just one of many great reasons to move to cloud services, but they offer so much more!

Cloud services allow you to effectively manage and track access to files and allow users access to applications from any device, wherever they are working. When it comes to data access you can provide restricted access to your most confidential data by setting up user groups.

In addition to these points, there are now lots of applications that support cloud working, allowing staff to easily continue working from home whilst using the applications they use in the office. These include things like online document editors, financial packages and much more!

3. Implement two factor authentication with USB readers

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection to your logon process. By using a USB reader the user must present a card and enter a password, adding an extra ‘factor’ to the standard password method of sign in. It drastically reduces the risk of unauthorised users accessing your data and systems, as they must use something they have (a physical card) and something they know (a password) before access is granted.

This method can be used for both PC logon and access to sensitive data or applications. If you’re looking for a reader that’s ideal for this, then check out the OMNIKEY® 5422, a great reader that offers support for both contact and contactless cards and can be integrated into most working environments. All this considered, the use of readers is invaluable in keeping your organisation secure, especially when staff are working from home.

4. Ensure all devices are up to date and have virus protection

This one’s key when it comes to making sure that your data is well protected. No matter what the device, most manufacturers and software providers will issue software updates. Keeping your devices up to date is imperative, not only does it ensure that your devices run smoothly by removing bugs and glitches, but it also makes sure that any key security patches are installed.

In addition to the software updates you’re also going to want to make sure you’ve got virus, malware and web protection on your devices. There are many providers of such software out there offering affordable and easily installed protection. This considered, antivirus software, malware and web protection are an easy and logical way to help minimise the risk of any data breaches, especially when staff are working from home on less secure networks.

5. Keep informed!

Keeping up to date with your team whilst they are home working is essential for many reasons, but how can it help maintain data security? It’s simple, by staying informed of the data and resources they are accessing you can offer personalised support to them, giving them advice on how to secure particular files or resources and allowing you to make sure staff members aren’t sharing data they shouldn’t be. It also gives you the opportunity to see where staff are no longer using certain files or resources which allows you to revoke remote access if it’s no longer needed. This point may seem simple but it’s a really effective way to help prevent data breaches.

Summing Up

So, we’ve discussed just a few of the ways you can protect your organisations data and hope that we’ve helped provoke thoughts on how this could help you. Now it’s time for you to put some, or all, of these into action. These simple tips, if implemented correctly, could help protect your organisations data and ultimately save you vast quantities of money! If you’d like to know more about how USB readers can be used as part of your data security plan then get in touch today and we’re here and ready to chat!

PS. Why not give this blog a share on social media? You never know, it might help protect another organisation from potential data breaches!