Working from home is the ultimate goal for most people. It brings you extra freedom, comfort, enjoyment and delivers a whole new outlook on what work means as an employee. As much good as it brings, it can occasionally come with its own unique set of challenges. One of those challenges can be that your cyber security may be at a higher risk when working from home as opposed to in an office environment.
Here are 6 helpful tips and tricks to remember when setting up your work-from-home office:
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1. Updates Are Important
Software updates are important as they often contain the latest version of anti-virus software. So if any of your devices offer you an update, it’s wise to install the update as soon as possible.
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2. Keep Your VPN On
A VPN keep information safe using data encryption when sharing data with an employer or a fellow employee. If your company uses a VPN (virtual private network) to access and transmit information then ensuring you don’t turn your VPN off is good to remember.
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3. Keep Your Eyes Peeled For Scams
Don’t open any emails, links or attachments that look suspicious or seem to be from a totally random person or company. Safeguard your email with a DMARC policy as an additional security measure.
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4. Complex Passwords
All your devices should have password authentication activated on them. This includes your Wi-Fi network and router, which connects your internet-enabled wireless and wired devices. When creating passwords for your home office, we suggest creating strong, lengthy passwords for every online account you log in to on an employer-issued device.
Consider creating passwords that are at least 10 characters, excluding real words or personal information (like a birth date). Including letters, numbers and symbols in a random order is a great place to start. Use this format everywhere, from your work laptop to the account you create at a site where you can claim an online casino sign up bonus. Just ensure each password is different.
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5. Keep Your Devices Separate
When you start working from home, it may be tempting to use your work laptop to load your personal emails or pay some bills. We advise against this, try your best to keep your personal and work devices as separate as possible. For example, if your personal laptop lacks sufficient security and you decide to do some work from there, you are putting the company at risk.
If you decide to answer personal emails or check the land of Facebook from your work laptop while on your lunch break, you may also be putting the company at risk. Another great tip is to maintain firm boundaries with anyone you share a living space with surrounding your work devices. No one, except you of course, should be allowed to use your work devices.
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6. Consider Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication gives your cyber security that extra edge and adds another protective layer to your online presence.
Multi-factor authentication means that there are 2 or more methods for verifying someone’s identity before they can log in to an account, log on to a device or log in to a network. These methods can be passwords, facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, confirming who you are on more than 1 device and password patterns.
The excitement in the way in which the work force is shifting from shared office space, to private home office is undeniable. This wonderful opportunity does come with a certain amount of responsibility to keep your cyber security up to scratch to avoid any unfortunate mishaps. By doing this you can help provide the secure environment your work, and your home systems, deserve.
