Remote work is no longer the exception. It’s largely becoming the norm. For nearly 18 months, many employers around the country and the world have been working from home because of the pandemic.
There can be benefits, including potential improvements in productivity and more innovation.
The pandemic has also sped up a move away from major urban areas, and people are going to smaller cities and towns to live while still being able to work for major global employers. Commuter life has been replaced with more time spent with family or doing things people enjoy.
A lot of businesses were readying for a return to the office in the fall of this year, but the Delta variant has put a wrench in those plans. Instead of large-scale requirements to go back to work in person, now, employers are looking at ways to optimize their remote and hybrid work scenarios.
A critical consideration in all of this is cybersecurity.
Of the downsides to more remote work, cybersecurity looms large, and it’s something that companies can’t wait any longer to address.
The following are some tips and things to keep in mind as far as IT security and remote workers.
Using Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication is no longer optional if you have any remote employees or hybrid employees. It’s also essential if your employees bring their own devices or do any work offsite.
Multi-factor authentication or MFA means that you use two or more authentication factors. For example, you might have your employees use a password and something like a security question or biometrics.
The idea is that it’s harder for a hacker to get past both the password and the other form of authentication.
Before you implement specific MFA policies, you’ll want to review what you’re currently using, figure out the third-party tools you’ll need to make it happen, and you’ll need to identify your most significant risks that demand your initial attention.
From there, you can integrate MFA into company policies.
Don’t Neglect the Basics
Sometimes, in an attempt to create the most secure remote work environment possible, you might overthink advanced technology and lose sight of the fact that the basic elements of cybersecurity are still relevant.
For example, having a comprehensive antivirus solution is important.
Antivirus protection can help protect from ransomware, malware, spyware, and DDoS attacks, among other issues.
An antivirus suite can provide remote work security against so many different types of threats, and it’s automated, making it easy for everyone.
Consider a VPN
A VPN is an excellent investment if you’re going to have any employees who work remotely at any time.
A VPN or Virtual Private Network allows employees to log onto the company network from anywhere with internet access. With a VPN, you can limit who can log in, and you can determine who’s accessing your network and associated resources.
Not all employees need access to all things, and a VPN helps you manage access control and prevent privilege creep.
A VPN creates encrypted, private communication sessions. Data can be safely sent across public networks through encrypted passages.
There are both consumer and business VPNs. A consumer VPN is designed for individual use, and you might use it if you frequently work at a coffee shop, for example. A VPN for business is more advanced in features and scalability, and it’s great if you have a team working remotely.
To run a VPN, you just install the access server on your network, and then a device can be connected with the client.
With a VPN, you do need to make sure that your employees are following stringent password protocols and changing them frequently.
Policies and Training
No amount of technology will protect your business if your employees don’t have specific remote work cybersecurity policies to follow and if they aren’t well-trained on them.
You need to create a well-defined cybersecurity policy that is specific to remote work and make sure that you’re regularly updating it because things can evolve quickly.
Many of the biggest cybersecurity threats aren’t high-tech in their approach. They rely on human error or a lack of knowledge.
For example, email security is a big point of weakness.
Phishing scams grow in prevalence and are often the beginning of high-profile and expensive ransomware attacks. Train employees on how to recognize phishing and what to do if they think they’re the target.
Your employees, particularly when they’re working from home, need to be vigilant and cautious at all times.
Your employees need to understand their role in overall cybersecurity and how this fits into their daily job.
You should also make sure they know what the risks are specifically when it comes to working from home.
Some general tips you want to impart to your remote workers include:
- Don’t click anything until you verify it. Cybercriminals distribute malware campaigns by asking employees to click or download things. It can look like it’s coming from you or someone else in the company, and employees have to be very mindful before clicking anything.
- Multi-factor authentication, again, should be used whenever possible.
- Employees working remotely should use their company-issued VPN to access any work accounts, and they should use a secure network even with that VPN. For example, their home router should continuously be updated with the most recent software and secured with a passcode.
- Your employees need to keep their devices with them at all times and secured when they aren’t in use.
- There should be limited access to the device used for work. For example, employees shouldn’t be sharing their primary work devices with other members of their household.
Finally, your employees need to update all of their software regularly. When they’re working from home, you lose a level of control over this, so make sure it’s an official part of your policies and training. All internet-connected devices they use for work including phones and tablets, need to run the most current software versions.
