Remote work has exploded in the past few years thanks to a global health emergency and the desire of workers to have a better work-life balance. While remote work is attractive for both businesses and employees, it does bring forth many challenges. Having meetings online may not be as productive, collaborating with coworkers may be more challenging, and keeping company data safe and secure is an obstacle. Here are some key tips to protect your data while working remotely.
Create a Cybersecurity Policy
Any business that allows remote work needs to establish a cybersecurity policy. This allows employees to know that they have protocols and best practices to follow to ensure data is always secure, in or out of the office.
Cybersecurity policies aren’t only for businesses; freelancers and contract workers can also come up with their own guidelines to follow while remote working. These guidelines can include only checking financial information while at your home network or only sending information to clients through a secure network that you trust.
Strong Passwords
One of the biggest reasons people get hacked is through passwords. Many people have one standard password that they use for all of their accounts. What’s more, many of these passwords are not secure enough.
Everyone, especially remote workers, should be mindful of their passwords. Using strong passwords that are unique for each account will go a long way to ensuring personal data stays safe. Consider using a password manager to store all your unique passwords for optimal safety.
Be Aware of Scams
Scams are present all over the internet, and businesses as well as freelancers are subject to them. Some of the most common online scams are phishing scams. Phishing is when emails or websites are shared with individuals or all company employees that seem like they have come from your company, a client, a bank, or something that you recognize. However, these scams can lead to malware or other issues.
Phishing scams can be caught by paying attention to the spelling of the text, the email address, or suspicious requests such as asking for personal or financial information. Being mindful of these scams can help remote workers protect their data and company data.
Use Secure Internet Connections
As a remote worker, it’s crucial to ensure you only connect to secure WIFI networks. Many remote workers like to work in public areas like cafes, restaurants, or coworking spaces. However, public WIFI is not always secure.
When you connect to the WIFI network, and it asks if you want to trust the network, always say no. To further protect your data while using public WIFI, use a VPN. Check out this article to learn about the best VPN for privacy and to see how it protects you while connected to public networks.
The Bottom Line
Remote work is not going to go away anytime soon. To protect sensitive data while working remotely, employees, businesses, freelancers, and contractors need to be mindful of cybersecurity concerns and best practices to mitigate risk.
