Ten years ago you’d open the doors of a coffee shop and walk into an olfactory cloud of espresso. People would be leaning in for private conversations, or absorbed in study in a corner chair.
Fast-forward to today. The smell is the same, but most of the people are tapping away on laptops and tablets. Coffee shops have replaced offices as the mobile workforce has exploded.
And if you have mobile workers, a spilled latte is the least of your worries. Much as the cloud has decentralized data storage and increased security risks, remote work has created a situation where an organization’s important data is being physically accessed in dozens of locations at a time, and the locations can change in minutes. But remote work is here to stay!
Here are some tips for securing your remote employees:
- Consider a VPN. There are several levels of encryption you can choose to secure the comings and goings of data as your employees connect to your network from all corners of the globe.
- Speaking of encryption. You can encrypt the hard drive on devices that will be used off-site.
- Leverage the cloud. Cloud service providers are under a great deal of pressure to protect the data their customers entrust to them. Take advantage of the resources they’re pouring into security. But, of course, always vet the providers you choose to work with.
- Cover the entrances. Make it company policy to use complex passwords. Consider using a password manager to generate and store random passwords so your employees don’t end up defaulting to their email password or a pet’s name. You might consider a policy of changing passwords every 90 days. Also, have a policy of using authentication measures like two-step verification.
- Secure remote worker devices. Install security software on the devices your employees work remotely with, and make sure updates install automatically. You can also use a patch management tool to manage updates on all of your remote devices from one central device.
Keep your organization safe — whatever coffee shop it visits
Education is also a key component to securing your remote employees, so don’t forget to include them in your regular cyber security trainings.
Varay can connect you to the best training options for your off-site workers, and guide you to the tools you need to keep your data safe as it is accessed remotely.
Contact us today to set up a free visit to determine your IT score and get your remote employees secured.
