Using technology allows us to conduct business from just about anywhere. It’s not uncommon to walk into a coffee shop, airport or hotel lobby and see people working away on their laptop. It’s important to protect your business data while travelling, so that the organization is not left vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Leveraging technology to allow employees to easily work remotely while travelling is a relatively new concept that allows for an element of convenience and increased productivity. At the same time, employees should understand the risks when working out of the office.
Organizations implement cybersecurity training programs to teach employees how to stay safe while accessing company data. Here, we put together 5 tips to keep top of mind for employees that spend any amount of time working remotely.
1. Strengthen your passwords
A strong password includes at least 10 characters and a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. A unique password is one that you use only for one account. Every day a variety of cyberattacks compromise websites, usernames, passwords and online accounts. Attackers can then use this information to find other accounts related to the same person, revealing work-related documents, personal social media accounts and banking information.
2. Use a VPN Connection
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. People use them when working remotely because it encrypts data that is travelling to and from your laptop and sets you up with a secure server. This makes it harder for others on the network to see what you are doing.
3. Be careful about which Wi-Fi networks you connect to
The more networks you sign into the higher the chances of something happening. Stick to places you trust and limit the amount of personal information you provide when connecting.
4. Make sure your computer is up to date
Updating your computer implements important changes to improve the security and performance of your device. It is a temporary inconvenience that significantly lowers the chance of falling victim to an attack while on the road.
5. Back up your information
Avoid a brief moment of panic by knowing that in the event of a disaster, you have a backup of your files. (Not to be confused with cloud sharing apps such as Microsoft SharePoint, that allow for easy collaboration but are not for backups.) Read our recent blog post about 5 key practices for your organization’s integrated backup solution to learn more.
You might also enjoy these articles:
- 5 Tips for Staying Connected to Your Team While Working from Home
- Microsoft 365: SharePoint vs. OneDrive? What’s the Difference?
- The Importance of the Cloud
- VPN Connectivity: how to Have Employees Work Remotely, Securely