The idea of working from home used to be an unthinkable one for most people. Yet here we are still working from home all of these months after COVID-19 first forced us to isolate. While having your employees work from home has helped prevent the spread of the virus, it has not been without connectivity and productivity challenges, and increased cybersecurity risks.
That’s why, even though working from home has now become almost routine, it’s still important to have the conversations that make sure your business is always protected from the latest threats, and always runs smoothly.
Be Aware of Email Scams
The number one cybersecurity risk is email scams. When you’re working in the office on the protected corporate network, the scams are caught in your firewall by anti-phishing tools. At home, those safety nets aren’t nearly as strong and phishing emails disguised as legitimate emails land in inboxes with the intent to steal sensitive employee and company information. Knowing that employees are working from home, scammers often pretend that they’re someone within the company—a manager, director or even the CEO—to establish false trust.
Remind employees that if they’re unsure of an email’s legitimacy to report it before clicking any links within it. The same rule applies when browsing the Internet from a work laptop (or any laptop)—popups on websites should always be dismissed. Illegitimate popups are difficult to differentiate from legitimate ones and often install malware or other viruses on a computer.
Keep Comprehensive Anti-Virus Software Updated
Anti-virus software should always be up-to-date and running on company laptops. If it’s not, the system is vulnerable to cyberattacks as hackers look to exploit home Internet networks. These attacks could leave your business open to ransomware attacks, malware, spyware, and many other breaches. A comprehensive anti-virus suite runs in the background all the time and alerts the user when it detects a problem. Any alerts or signs that the software isn’t running correctly (a line through the icon on a computer desktop screen, for example, means it may be unresponsive) must be reported to your IT team immediately.
Use a Storage Solution
Regardless of how your company relies on storage—cloud backup or hosted servers—make sure all employees are using this solution often. Saving files locally can lead to lost, destroyed or compromised files if that computer is breached. Cloud Storage solutions also empower your team to better collaborate remotely by creating a unified working environment that allows them to edit, publish and share documents in one place.
Boost Internet Connectivity
The biggest communication and productivity issue for remote teams is the lowly home WiFi. While Internet providers may provide high speed access to the home, basic home routers were never designed to handle the load now being put upon them. Tablets, smartphones, and smart home tech (like Nest hubs and smart TV) are now all connected to the router at the same time as children are attending virtual classes from home and your employees are joining team or client video calls. All of this is too much for the router and results in sluggish connections for everyone. The solution is to install a mesh WiFi system, which creates multiple access points around the home and distributes the network over the area to avoid overloading any one access point. There are a lot of solutions out there, ask us to help you and your employees find the right one.
The reality is that demand for employee flexibility has been building for decades so even after we’re all allowed to return to the office, many companies may choose to offer remote work options. Your business’s success lies in being able to do so effectively and securely. We create the reliable infrastructure that you can count on. Contact us for a free consultation.
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