Today’s workforce is significantly different from the 9-to-5 cubicle jockeys of years gone by. Workers have flexible schedules and may or may not report to an office of any kind. Many businesses seek out freelance consultants or assign projects to teams who communicate remotely from all over the country, sometimes the world.
With this dramatic increase in remote workers and increased collaboration across technology, comes increased security risks for a company’s data. According to Cisco, almost half of remote employees admit to transferring files between work and personal computers. Employees also reported sharing company passwords as well as sharing company computers without approval.
Even if employees adhere to password and other security policies, they may work in locations where your data is preyed upon. Whether a remote worker sets up shop at Starbucks or rents a desk in a communal office space, they represent entry points to your systems.
So how do you ensure security for shared office spaces and make certain your business’s systems and data are safe, with the ever-increasing reliance on remote workers and shared public office spaces?
3 Ways to Protect Data Security for Shared Office Spaces and Remote Workers
Review Your Password Policy
This may sound basic, but because the most popular passwords are still “password” and “123456,” we can’t stress this aspect of security enough. Also, it involves more than creating strong passwords, which of course you need to do if you haven’t already. You should also always require multi-step authentication, when feasible.
Furthermore, use unique passwords for every account. Yes, it can be a nuisance, but not nearly the amount of trouble you will experience due to a data breach. Finally, make sure every employee knows they are not allowed to share passwords or computers without permission.
Update and Encrypt Your Company’s Devices
If your employees and remote workers use company-provided computers, make sure they are promptly updated. The enormous data breach at Equifax last year, when the personal data of 143 million people was stolen, would not have happened if Equifax had downloaded an available security patch, Wired magazine reported.
Encrypting your devices is another significant aid to data security. End-to-end encryption helps protect your data even if hackers do manage to get in. They won’t be able to read your data.
Create a Policy for Public Computers and Wi-Fi
Develop a policy for your employees regarding the use of public computers and public wi-fi networks for work. These are both highly susceptible to hackers, and your data will not be secure if your workers use either one without precautions.
So what about those Starbucks workers? It’s a good idea to prohibit using public wi-fi unless you are using a VPN or Virtual Private Network. Another option for employees working in public places is to use their mobile devices as hot spots, to avoid using the shared wi-fi network. Require that they take steps to keep their mobile devices secure, too, of course.
When it comes to public computers, such as a library, the best policy is not to use them. You have no way of knowing how secure they really are. They could be harboring spyware or other malware. If your workers absolutely must use a public computer for some reason, then make sure they restrict their actions to accessing general information only, and never anything vital or sensitive.
If you have any questions about how to implement these measures or any further concerns about data security, reach out to one of our experts!