Keeping company data safe is not easy — add in working from home and it gets even more complicated. As the COVID-19 pandemic pushes employees to work remotely, a potential security risk develops — we've prepared a few best practices to keep your company and staff secure during this time.
What's at Risk?
Do you have valuable customer information to protect? Oftentimes, organizations must comply with regulations concerning data security, especially in the healthcare and financial services industries. What kind of data would hackers target? Carefully defining threat models is the first step in developing a plan to prevent breaches before they happen.
Remote Device Security
Separate work computers from personal computers, especially if sensitive data is handled. It is also recommended to use strong user account passwords, with lock screen enabled, to prevent access to a running computer. If your company issues mobile devices, we recommend you require strong passwords and short screen lock times, while forcing timely software updates.
Secure Corporate Network Access
VPNs encrypt traffic between the corporate network and the endpoint device, preventing a potentially compromised home network from traffic snooping. It is important to make sure that only company-issued devices can connect to the corporate network.
Additionally, you may want to consider Remote Desktop Servers (RDS), and/or Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) as well. These protocols provide a virtual terminal into the business, offer greater control over what the user can access, and utilize significantly less Internet bandwidth. The experience to the user is fast without compromising security.
Cybersecurity Training
With less direct oversight, remote employees are even more susceptible to phishing and malware. Statistics show that 90% of data breaches are caused by human error. Even with perfect network and endpoint security, human error poses a huge risk. Companies should train their employees and then subject them to frequent simulated phishing attacks to significantly decrease the rate that real attacks are successful.
Secure Your Remote Workforce
As you get employees working remotely, security might not be top of mind. It is important to remember that hackers see this as a great opportunity to exploit easy vulnerabilities. Proactively securing company resources is the only way to stay one step ahead.
Questions about setting your business up for success? We’re here to help.
Consys Group Inc. 226-973-9208
*Source: IDAgent
