From better work/life balance to eliminating commute times, working from home offers many benefits for your staff. But employees aren’t the only ones who benefit from telecommuting—businesses do too, whether that means extending your job applicant reach or downsizing your office space. However, there are some drawbacks to remote work, most notably cybersecurity.
Providing Cybersecurity Support for Remote Workers
One of the main hurdles to implementing a remote or hybrid work environment has been cybersecurity. Virtual employees are more vulnerable to cyberthreats than your in-person staff because your offsite workforce doesn’t have access to the enterprise-level security solutions available in your office. Instead, the responsibility of protecting their network falls squarely on their shoulders.
Although your remote team may not have the same kind of cybersecurity that’s offered in your building, there are steps you can take to provide support for remote workers. These strategies can help them address the typical security vulnerabilities that come with working on a home network. Here are a few examples of cybersecurity best practices your remote workers can follow and some things you can do as well:
Perform a Risk Assessment
A great way to offer support for remote workers is to perform a comprehensive cybersecurity risk assessment. This audit is used to identify vulnerabilities in your systems. Weaknesses in remote working technology could range from unencrypted private information to security gaps in your firewall. By highlighting the susceptible parts of your infrastructure, you have the opportunity to fix them before a hacker exploits them.
Use a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) is a private network that encrypts your connection, allowing you to send and receive data privately and anonymously. With a VPN, it’s a lot harder for hackers to gain access to sensitive data. This tool can protect your team as they use things like remote communication solutions, customer relationship management software, and other applications that connect with your network.
Find a Network Monitoring Service
Another way to provide support for remote workers is with a network monitoring service. This type of service allows you to pinpoint, quarantine, and remove suspicious activity before it can cause any harm to your IT infrastructure. You can get cybersecurity monitoring from a managed services provider (MSP) like CTMS. If anything malicious is detected, your MSP is alerted immediately, allowing them to neutralize the threat quickly.
Install Antivirus Software
In addition to monitoring services, you can provide support for remote workers by having them install antivirus software on their computers. Keep in mind that not all antivirus software is created equally. What your virtual team uses should be comparable to the antivirus software you use for your office.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication
Strong passwords are great, but not as great as multi-factor authentication (MFA). This solution adds an extra layer of security to your logins by requiring two or more forms of verification. MFA works by first asking for login information, then asking the user to submit an additional identifier. This may be something like a message with a specific code sent to the user’s phone or email address. Unless the cybercriminal has access to these credentials, they won’t be able to access the account.
Cybersecurity Training
Human error is a major contributor to most data breaches. Even if you have the best firewall and monitoring services in the world, one mistake can allow a cyberthreat to bypass all of that protection. That’s why training your employees in cybersecurity is the best kind of support for remote workers.
Training your staff on best practices teaches them how to identify and avoid threats. They can also learn what to do if they suspect their system has been compromised. It’s important to remember that your workers are your first line of defense. The stronger that line is, the better off your network is. Think of it as turning your greatest weakness into your greatest strength.
Keep Your Team Secure With CTMS
There’s no better way to provide support for remote workers than to partner with CTMS. We offer a variety of cybersecurity solutions to protect every end of your business. Our consultants can tailor a cybersecurity plan to the specific needs of your organization.
Learn more about how CTMS can provide cybersecurity to your remote workers.
