As coronavirus forced business owners to adopt remote working models, the risk of cyberattacks soared. Ransomware, data breaches, and other cybersecurity threats rose without the IT protection at traditional office spaces. This means remote workers need protective measures while working from their homes.
In 2020, there was a 62% increase in the number of ransomware attacks on companies and businesses. The mass transition to a remote working environment more than likely played a role.
Remote work brings new talent, productivity, and quality of life to employees. But it also brings new challenges for a business’ cybersecurity.
Business owners need to know how to protect remote workers from cyber threats.
For example, if a data breach affects one employee, it’s likely to affect all your remote workers. Thus, your business will face more vulnerabilities than usual.
Since remote work is becoming a mainstay, business owners need to keep their businesses and remote workers safe. Preventive strategies are the first step.
When working from home, employees may use their personal devices to complete tasks. This means they are sharing, accessing, and creating company information on personal devices.
Thus, businesses are more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
But, remote work may still be necessary depending on your location. Or if you want to provide more flexibility to your employees.
So how can business owners ensure remote workers are safe online?
Keep reading to learn about the IT solutions that protect remote workers and businesses while away from the office.
First, it’s important that employees continue following IT protocols that exist in the office.
Furthermore, small training sessions every so often are effective for teaching employees how to avoid potential IT issues. For instance, sometimes employees need a reminder to change their passwords or delete old emails.
It’s helpful to keep documents readily available to guide remote workers through protocols.
Helping remote workers remain aware of what a phishing email looks like helps them avoid falling victim to ransomware.
Human error is often the reason behind ransomware attack success. Teach your remote workers how to identify potential scams and fraud so you can avoid any loss of money and time. These scams could look like strange requests for passwords.
It’s also a good idea to install work/life balance measures into your remote work policy. Human error is usually the result of distraction.
Whether from long working hours, harder boundaries between work and life to maintain, or simply stress, errors undoubtedly occur. Keeping your remote workers at their best ensures your organization will be at its best as well.
If you don’t have any data, cybersecurity, or work/life balance policies in place, be sure to create them. Bringing your IT staff in on the discussion is also a great idea. IT professionals can help you learn what options are available for your business and employees.
Offering antivirus and malware protection services to your remote workers helps ensure their personal devices are safe. You can also set up a VPN for remote workers to use while working online.
A VPN (virtual private network) allows employees to connect to a private network despite their location. Instead of using public networks that you could find at a coffee shop or library, a VPN provides consistent protection.
Since the risk of cybersecurity attacks are higher on public networks, invest in a good VPN for your team to effectively protect you against online threats.
While it’s critical to prepare your remote workers for any potential IT issues, data governance models may be harder to maintain from home. Try updating your online policies or adding new sections so that your remote workers have the best tools available to them. Adjust your systems to remind employees to change passwords often (every 30-90 days).
Make sure your point of contact understands and follows employee procedures in case of data breaches, ransomware attacks, or any other potential cyber threat that could cause significant downtime.
Keeping your data on the cloud is a reliable way to keep your data secure, and still accessible to remote workers.
Cloud storage encrypts your data, making it much more difficult for hackers to infiltrate and steal your information.
The best part about using cloud storage is that it’s easy for remote workers to use.
And if the unfortunate occurs and your building runs into any kind of disaster, keeping your data on the cloud ensures that it remains safe.
You’ll never lose your data when you choose to use cloud storage.
If your business needs help setting up cloud storage to keep your data safe, connect with our IT professionals at Waterdog Computer Works.
We bring reliable cloud storage solutions to your business so you and your employees can operate safely from your own home.
Another IT solution that can help keep your business and remote workers safe from cyber security threats, is remote monitoring.
Remote monitoring can check on the status of employee devices to ensure their software is up to date.
Remote monitoring functions through the cloud — meaning that any device on your cloud can be monitored for any problems before they arise.
Remote work is here to stay. Some companies are even creating hybrid models in which employees can choose to work remotely or go into a physical office. Needless to say, remote work is an increasingly popular trend amongst working professionals.
But if you plan to spend any time in the office, it’s wise to talk with your team about security policies. After a year or more out of office, employees might have fallen into bad online habits.
In fact, IT leaders are predicting a spike in phishing and ransomware attacks as remote workers return to the office.
If you want to keep your business safe from cyberattacks, give refresher training to each returning employee on good IT practices. To assess any vulnerabilities or help update your security measures, contact your IT service provider Waterdog Computer Works.
Teaching employees good practices online is the best first step to protecting your remote workers. As working from home continues, your business is as safe as your employees are.
Equipping your employees with reliable cloud storage and proactive IT solutions is the next safeguard.
Waterdog Computer Works helps small and medium-sized businesses implement reliable IT solutions. No matter your industry, work model, or needs. Schedule a call with us today to discuss how we can protect your company while it’s operating remotely.
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