Keep Your IT Safe while Working from Home

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to work its way through every corner of the world, the term “new normal” is getting used more and more as we all adjust to a new way of working and living.  For business owners, that could mean your workforce is logging hours from home for the foreseeable future.

But without the IT protections your team has relied on in your office, your data and information could be in a risky position bouncing around your employees’ laptops and smart phones.

Don’t risk a catastrophe to your business and your customers. Prepare your clients, your company, and your staff with these precautionary measures that keep your product in the marketplace and your organization moving forward.

7 Ways to Work from Home Safely

1. Implement security compliance polices

Policies are a simple way for your team to all be on the same page and understand what to do when faced with a challenging situation or a full-blown crisis. They can seem like boring corporate speech, but they’re critical in practice to ensure your employees are working together. Here are a few to consider.

–              Security Incident Response Policy

Incidents are inevitable, so use this as a chance to coordinate with your team a process to address security breaches.

–              Written Information Security Plan (WISP)

This document clearly details your company’s security breach plan. With this information, your employees can share the same message after a breach.

–              Asset Management Policy

If your staff understands your technology footprint, your company will be better equipped to provide foundational security controls.

–              Acceptable Use Policy

Anyone who has access to your network should have a clear understanding of what your company’s resources can be used for and what activities are not allowed.

–              System and Device Baseline Security Policy

If your team is working with devices issued from your organization, each device in your network should have a minimum-security configuration implemented.

–              Mobile Device Management and Access Policy

This policy is critical to ensure secure remote access for your staff working remotely as they access your company’s network.

2. Educate and communicate with your employees

This may seem obvious when considering steps on paper, but it is far from obvious in practice.

Your team needs to know what to expect, if at all possible. Their lives are clouded with unknowns, so give them as much information as possible. A shift in company operations, a change in the market for your product, or ways government policies are affecting your productivity are all pieces of information that will empower your staff to come to work more confidently.

3. Back up data

If you are not doing this, its importance cannot be overstated. If your company is already doing this, back up the data with even more vigor.

With so many options for data storage, it simply doesn’t make sense for the viability of your business to run the risk of not having data backed up, whether there’s a pandemic or not.

4. Use up-to-date software

Software updates are, at best, annoying. Pop up icons telling you to stop working so your device can upload its latest update are a productivity killer in the moment.

However, they are essential and will increase your productivity in the long run. When it comes to IT security and protection, putting off needed updates will give hackers the opportunity to breach your system. Software updates and patches are created to correct bugs or vulnerabilities and are essential in keeping your systems secure.

That means if your staff is working from home on company-issued laptops or using their own, the responsibility is on them to keep their devices up to date so your security systems can function correctly.

5. Utilize two-factor authentication

Like software updates, two-factor authentication may seem like an annoying hassle for day-to-day use. However, it can provide a simple defense for remote users to access company email, records, and software.

Typically, this is enacted by registering a mobile phone to a user account to provide an additional layer of security.

6. Delete old accounts

Old accounts from past employees or old usernames can fade like forgotten leftovers in the back of the fridge. However, hackers can use these accounts to access your company’s network.

Remote working makes these access points that much more exposed, so be diligent in deleting old accounts to prevent these security breaches.

7. Use a password manager

Remembering and recovering forgotten passwords is something everyone deals with, whether or not you’re at work. For remote workers, this can be even more time consuming.

Using a service to organize and track multiple passwords for your staff can save your employees time and nagging headaches, as well as help you delegate responsibilities by granting access to users who are updating your website, posting to social media, etc.

Ensuring your IT can support working from home

With so many unknowns still to face, you need to protect your company’s assets as much as possible while still empowering your team to continue doing great work remotely. While you navigate your new normal, don’t waste time worrying over the security of your organization’s digital network. Let Elemental Technology Solutions work with you to create a security plan and IT infrastructure that provide peace of mind.

Focus on growing your business, and we’ll ensure your foundation is secure.

An IT company ready to partner with you

From full-service managed IT to cloud and voice services to device-as-a-service, our IT firm works with your company to ensure business continuity no matter what disaster is thrown your way. We will work with you to create a plan that fits your business’s needs.

Our device-as-a-service (DaaS) offers a wide range of asset maintenance, configuration, support, and upgrade options that cover any solution your organization needs to excel. Pair our DaaS solutions with our cloud and voice services to allow your employees secure access to anything they may need while working from home. For more information regarding our services or to get started today, give us a call at 888-499-5898 for our Knoxville, TN, IT professionals or 615-835-2985 to speak with our Nashville, TN, IT firm.

With years of experience and connections to the Tennessee business community, we can ensure you receive the right solutions you need.