The world has changed after the pandemic, and you cannot expect it to return to how it was. There is an emerging requirement of working from home. Businesses in this instance have had to implement strategies for secure remote work access. This is important because sudden shifts in work model have also paved the way for increased cyber security risks.

Remote Work Vulnerabilities

For a business to offer remote work accessibility, workers need to have access confidential business information using their personal devices and networks. Therefore, proving workers remote access to confidential data and information is a huge risk in itself. According to a report, many businesses that deployed the remote work model have suffered due to worker negligence and inability to comply with security standards.

This is why businesses need to be careful when making the shift to the remote work model. They have to plan a remote work strategy, both for the long term and the short term. Not only that, they also have to choose the right tools and learn about the potential cyber risks that their company can face.

Planning a Strategy

When planning a remote work strategy, you need to sit down and think about the data that you need to provide access to when remote working. This involves considering the type of data involved, along with determining which data is more valuable and needs maximum protection. However, if you are running cloud-based applications, then planning a strategy becomes easier to do.

Another challenge that you will face will require communication hurdles when planning the remote work strategy. This is why it is very important to determine the communication modes when deploying secure remote work access. Without instant communication and transparency, it can very difficult to secure remote work model.

You also have to consider what your employees and staff are going to need at home. For instance, employees will firstly need a computer to remotely access the office interface. A good way to provide security in this instance is by providing the computer to the employee. This has security benefits since the company computer will follow the security standards needed to protect data.

Not only that, it also allows the IT managers to control access, policies and procedures surrounding the device. This level of control and management is also possible through cloud migration. When companies move their IT infrastructure to a private cloud, the IT manager and company leader have the power to grant access to the workers according to how they please. Similarly, if you are working with an IT company, you can have more control over the software.

Security

Once you start running dispersed work forces that are not in your physical walls and using personal devices, you need to keep in mind that cyber crime activities are not sleeping. People that operate the malicious cyber crime business are looking at remote work access as an opportunity.

They know that the home users are great targets because most of them do not have the expertise and awareness to handle IT threats. This allows cyber criminals to leverage from this confusion and inability and take advantage of this opportunity.

Deploying Layers of Security

To keep your business running secure remote operations, you need to implement certain layers of security. These layers refer to different measures of cyber security that help you protect your company data and also avoid downtime costs. It touches on techniques such as updating software, data backup and recovery, fire walls and antivirus, email filtering and more.

Patched Software

Updated operating systems are the foundation of security. This means that all of your software needs to be patched and up to date. The biggest mistake you can do is provide your employee with an outdated operating system. This causes the operating system to become a security risk and can expose your company’s data to malware and other cyber attacks.

You have to therefore ensure that all the equipment that you are using is updated and patched. If you are working with a good third party system manager, then you will not have to worry about this problem. A good service is proficient in managing patched systems for you.

Firewalls and Antivirus

Hardware and software firewalls can be critical when it comes to keeping your business secure during remote work access.  Firewalls can help keep all malicious activities out of access points. They identify and stop any malware from breaching important data. You need to keep these firewalls turned on and properly configure and update them.

Similarly, every employee working from home must have a good quality antivirus program, along with a web filtering program. A web filtering function is sometimes built into an antivirus. It is a piece of software that looks at the websites you visit and evaluates them and warns users of dodgy content.

Email Filtering

Email filtering is important due to the number of persistent cyber attacks that take the form of phishing emails is astounding. Not only that, ransomware attacks are also spread across the internet mostly through emails. This is why you need to make sure that your workers are using helpful tools that filter out emails.

Backup and Recovery

You want to have a backup and recovery system in plan. This means that you need to have some system that makes sure that the valuable data of your business is being backed up constantly. This helps you mitigate the risks that come with ransomware and stolen data. Deploying a good disaster recovery plan can help you with backup and business continuity even in the face of a threat.

Passwords

Many cyber criminals will use technology and algorithmic coding programs to guess passwords. If your organization is using easy passwords and not changing them frequently, the hackers can easily penetrate into the system using confidential credentials.

Start Secure Remote Work Practices Today!

Managed service providers like Prescient Solutions help you integrate some of the most effective practices when a company is providing remote work access. Being in the business for over 25 years, they have helped many mid-sized and global enterprises shift to the remote work model with ease. If you want to attain their services, you can start by filling their online form.