How to keep employees working remotely safe

With the benefits of home working becoming more obvious, and as more and more employers are taking advantage of the reduced costs and other benefits of homeworking, there are a number of factors that need to be kept in mind when taking the leap. If your in-house team is no longer spending as much time in the office, you need to make sure that their basic online security is as much a priority when they’re in their home environment as when they are in the office. With up to 60% of cyber-attacks caused by employees, managing your cybersecurity is as vital when your staff are working in their pyjamas in front of Netflix or in the office.

Password hygiene

Using strong passwords is a vital part of your security arrangements, and for many employers of home workers, the problem is that passwords are chosen by users. Weak password hygiene can put your business at risk, so it is important for your staff to recognise the need for strong passwords. This isn’t simply a matter of making certain that they are using strong passwords for company accounts, but also for their social media accounts, as criminals are able to extract a vast amount of data using what's available on Facebook or Twitter. Often considered the most basic form of internet security, having a strong password is your first stage of defence against cybercrime.

Device Protection

Keeping your devices updated is a vital tool in the fight against cybercrime, and it’s vital that your home workers are aware of the dangers caused by not utilising the latest software updates. Antivirus software is updated to tackle the newest threats, and by failing to maintain up to date system protection means that your data is at risk even if your employee is at home. Anti-malware is key to protection, and having the added safety precaution of hardware such as a Sonic Wall will be a valuable tool to ensure that your data is safe. With cyber-attacks on the rise, protecting yourself when your workers are at home is as important as ever.

Stay away from public WiFi

With up to a third of homeworkers admitting that they use an unsecured WiFi connection, it’s clear that more people need training when it comes to the dangers of public WiFi. Although using public WiFi access can often be convenient, criminals are known to scan public resources in order to take advantage of unencrypted and unsecured connections, meaning that your device is often at risk. By using unprotected internet access, your employees are exposing both themselves and your business to cyber-danger, and your vulnerability increases.

Having employees working from home can be a major boost to your business for a number of reasons, but the dangers of lax cybersecurity need to be addressed. It is only by making your staff aware of the threats that they are able to learn how to protect both themselves and you from the ever-rising threat of cybercrime.