Safety Tips For Working Remotely During The COVID-19 Outbreak

Safety Tips For Working Remotely During The COVID-19 Outbreak

IT professionals love office networks.  They’re relatively easy to protect and control.  These days though, with more and more people working from home due to the Corona Virus and the calls for social distancing to minimize health risks, digital security professionals face a whole constellation of new challenges, not the least of which is ensuring the security or the company’s network in the face of so many remote connections to it.
The good news is that if you’re currently working from home, there are a number of relatively simple things you can do to help ensure you don’t put the company’s network and sensitive data at risk.  Here are several:

Secure Your WiFi
Home networks tend to have lots of security issues, but one of the biggest and most often overlooked is the WiFi connection itself.  Many home users don’t even bother to password protect their routers, simply leaving the easy to guess default password in place.  This should be the first thing you look at when shoring up the security of your home network!

Update Your Antivirus Software
When was the last time you downloaded an update for whatever Antivirus Software you’re running at home?  If you’re like most people, you can’t answer that question.  Once you’ve secured your WiFi connection, this should absolutely be your next step.

Use A VPN
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network.  A VPN provides a secure, direct connection to your company’s network.  Check with a member of your company’s IT staff to get the details on how to use a VPN to connect securely to the company’s resources to add another layer of protection.

Rethink (And Update) Your Passwords
A shocking percentage of people are still using the same password across multiple web properties.  If that’s something you’re still doing, rethink that.  If a hacker guesses or breaches just one of your accounts, he could easily gain control over most of your digital life, including finding his way into your company’s network and causing unimaginable damage.  Don’t let that happen.  Create a unique, strong password for every website you visit, and use a different password for connecting to your company’s network from home.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication Whenever Possible
Some websites don’t offer two-factor authentication, but most do.  Anytime it’s offered, take advantage of it.  2FA is a fantastic, simple way to dramatically reduce your risks.

Only Connect Using Approved Devices!
This is another issue that often gets overlooked.  Your company almost certainly has a policy in place, governing what devices are approved for connecting to the company’s network.  Be sure to abide by those policies and only use approved devices.  If you’re not sure what the policy is, just ask a member of your IT staff for guidance.
The Corona Virus has already changed a great many things about the world and how we operate in it.  No doubt, in the months ahead, we’ll see many more changes.  The good news is that change doesn’t have to be bad, and it doesn’t have to make you or your company less secure.  If you follow the steps outlined above, you’ll be doing your part to help keep your company’s data safe, even as you are kept safe by working from home.