With the current world pandemic, flexible and remote working have become key requirements for a lot of professionals. However, worries about cyber security in a home office can prevent businesses moving towards having a remote team.
Although working from the comfort of your own home sounds appealing, anything from your desktop computer to your smartphone can be turned into a liability in an instant these days. Businesses must step up resources to safeguard remote workers from breaches and guarantee security against cyber-attacks.
In light of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, here we examine universally proven ways to avoid cyber security breaches occurring long term with your business’ shift to remote work:
Invest in security systems
These include strong antivirus and malware detection and running regular system checks. At Anytime Offices, our goal is to guarantee that we are equipped with the right tools and equipment to ensure our clients work in secure environments. We have rigorous security in place, which is tested meticulously, with a specialist IT team on-site that continuously test our systems.
Heighten your cyber security awareness by familiarising your company’s policies
Failures to take precautions to protect sensitive information can lead to tremendous financial and reputational damage.
Beware of scams
Be aware that the COVID19 outbreak will be used by cybercriminals to try to scam people out of their data, money, and to gain access to systems, as well as phishing attacks. If you have the opportunity to work from home, you should:
- Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails and be wary of email attachments.
- Do not reveal personal or financial information over email or social media, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information.
- Verify a charity’s authenticity before making donations. Review the Federal Trade Commission’s page on Charity Scams for more information.
- Review ACSC website on Risk Management for COVID19 for more information.
Apply multi-factor authentication
Use a blend of:
- Something the user knows (a PIN, password or answer to a secret question)
- Something the user physically owns (a token, card or security key)
- Something the user naturally possesses (a retina pattern or fingerprint)
Connect to secure Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi is vulnerable and can reveal your browsing activity to cybercriminals. Use trusted connections, such as the secure, encrypted and hidden networks at Anytime Offices.
Avoid using portable storage devices
Transfer files in more secure ways, such as your company’s cloud storage. Make sure any external drive or USB is protected with passwords and encryption.
Use strong and one-off passwords
Use a different password for each app and website, especially those that store your information or credit card details.
Update your updating systems and software
It is vital to permit automatic updates on your systems and devices like your computers, laptops, tablets and mobile phones. Frequently, software updates are created to tackle security problems, and also often involve new security features that safeguard your device and data.
Protect your devices when not in use
Cautiously reflect on who has access to your home based devices. Don’t give laptops to children or other household members using your work profile or account. They could accidentally present malicious software to your device or delete or share vital information.
Use trusted sources for information
Use trusted sources (such as legitimate, government websites) for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID19. Balance all evidence before trusting what people share, and think analytically about the sources of information that you use.
Invest in a virtual office solution
Protect your home’s privacy by investing in a virtual office, a practical solution that keeps professional and personal lives separate and helps protect families. Additionally, it lends credibility to your business and helps achieve your goal work life balance.
What you can do to facilitate working from home
- If you’re experiencing internet connectivity problems, please restart your internet equipment (modem, router, Wi-Fi access points). This will resolve most issues.
- If internet seems slow, sometimes this can be caused by a browser with many tabs opened or a computer that hasn’t been recently rebooted. It’s always a good idea to close and re-open your browser if web browsing seems sluggish, or, even better, restart your computer.
- It is always advisable to use your company-issued computer to perform any work or access any company data or resources. Your personal computer may not have the same level of protection as your company computer.
As serviced offices are secure environments, both physically and remotely, using their numerous solutions is a sensible way of decreasing the threat of cybercrime.
Anytime Offices is equipped to keep you and your team members secure. We offer professional business solutions and pride our customer service skills with our highly trained staff, internal cybersecurity technology, and wealth of experience. Contact us to further discuss cyber safety.
If you’re experiencing IT issues, PLANETIWARE are on standby to provide assistance.
Review ACSC website on Risk Management for COVID19 for more information.
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