Tech Security for a Secure Home Office

Umar Zai

Top Tech Security Solutions for a Secure Home Office

Employees love the possibility of working from home since it frees them up from the daily drive while still allowing them to complete their tasks in their home office. This method is very useful and practical during the COVID-19 epidemic using tech security. By staying at home, staff members can stop the infection from spreading without limiting or degrading their work by using the technology solutions.

Working from home offers flexibility and independence, but it also increases the chance that cybersecurity problems may arise outside of a secure corporate network inside your home office. Even if your employer offers access to a virtual private network (VPN) as tech security, someone might jeopardize your computer (and the data it contains) if they break into your personal Wi-Fi network, hence technology solutions are vital. 

According to Brian Stark, general manager for North America at smanos, a business that provides home renovation and smart home office security systems, “ensuring important papers and information remain secret is clearly a problem that while working from home the employees need to address early on.” Of course, maintaining a secure connection to the server is crucial for tech security, but the owner is ultimately responsible for using the technology solutions.

The director of information security at LARES, Andrew Hay, issued a warning that other connected gadgets while working from home could not be subject to the same level of security checks as your laptop for work, opening your home office device up to simple access by hackers. Home workers must take care to identify any systems on their network that can serve as new attack vectors, according to Hay. “I once spoke to an NCIS agent who was looking into how his daughter’s laptop was used to breach a laptop belonging to a Navy officer. This article will discuss tech security and technology solutions.

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Security risks of remote work

Three in specific security hazards represent a threat to home office out of the numerous that exist to the tech security of working from home. Technology solutions are therefore a must.

Email scams

To steal critical information from the receiver or the business, criminals frequently send phishing emails to employees working from home. Phishers aim to exploit gullible individuals, particularly in trying times like the recent coronavirus outbreak. To foster false trust, they frequently pose as an employee of the business, such as the CEO or a manager. Hackers want to avoid checking that the email is authentic since home office based employees are easy prey because they are not in the office. So tech security and technology solutions are needed to prevent this.

Unsecured Wi-Fi

Your private home office network is frequently used by distant employees at this period, raising the possibility of data breaches while working from home. Private emails, passwords, and communications can be intercepted and accessed by outside parties mandating a need for tech security. Additionally, there is a chance that members of the employee’s household who use the same internet connection might view sensitive corporate information and lack of technology solutions may hurt you.

Personal computers

Many working from home employees acknowledge switching from the intended work technology solutions to their personal gadgets. 46% of employees, according to Cisco, said they transfer data between their work and personal computers in the home office. Many firms are at danger of tech security when workers get sensitive information and keep it on their own devices, especially if they leave the company. Being a remote worker and using your own computer without downloading the most recent updates might make you more susceptible to cyberattacks.

Best practices for remote workers

What safeguards should employees put in place when working from home to keep both themselves and their employers safe? Following are some recommendations from our knowledgeable sources.

Implement multifactor authentication.

Does the laptop provided by your home office employer need multi-factor authentication? Accessibility to the device and all software is granted upon the working from home employee’s submission of several forms of identity via multi-factor authentication as form of tech security. A computer may be unlocked by anyone who can remember a password or steal a physical object. Hackers won’t be able to enter the gadget (technology solutions) used by your company with physical access thanks to multi-factor authorization. Ask your boss about adding multi-factor authentication if it isn’t already active on the work laptop you use.

Use strong passwords.

You should also be concerned about digital gadgets (technology solutions). You want to make logging in as challenging as you can for hackers who are attempting to access critical accounts to ensure tech security. A smart precaution is to use a password manager while working from home, which guarantees that you only use secure passwords in your home office, such as those containing special characters, digits, higher and lower case, etc.

Encrypt your messages.

By converting sensitive information into code that only members of your home office organisation may access using a confidential key or password, data encryption helps safeguard confidential material while working from home. Scammers can’t correctly analyse your data, even if they manage to intercept it due to tight tech security. Any communication or information you transmit, receive, or save on your devices falls under these technology solutions.

Invest in antivirus software.

If you utilize your personal laptop for working from home, you must secure it. Your home office employer may suggest an app for a device provided by the firm. Venu Gooty, the creator of MyBusinessGenie, a provider of technology solutions for small enterprises, stated that since many ISPs “[provide] free antivirus software, we urge our staff to use it on their personal computers for extra tech security.”

Don’t allow family members to use your work devices.

The COO of Blue Fountain Media, Gavin Silver, cautioned people working from home that they should not use the family computer to complete their home office tasks. As if you were seated in a real workplace, Hay said, “treat your laptop, mobile device, and important business data for tech security.” You will be able to more easily relate your activities to a data-aware, security-focused attitude by doing this. For instance, at a real workplace, your youngster [couldn’t] play games or watch movies on a mobile device given by their employer. It’s far simpler to manage access to sensitive data and keep up with data if you merely think of your desktop and mobile devices as technology solutions.

Keep your physical workspace secure.

Physical security for your home office is equally as crucial as virtual tech security, according to Stark. According to Stark of Business News Daily, “Working from home frequently include pricey technology solutions or even physical papers or documents carrying sensitive information, thus it’s vital to assess tech security alternatives.” While a scanning entrance system or security guard may not be practical for every home office, it’s still necessary to incorporate all available conventional physical security measures.

Follow company policies to the letter.

It’s probable that your business has established rules for accessing the corporate network away from the home office. These laws and regulations must always be followed for tech security, but Silver stressed that doing so while working from home is particularly crucial. Follow fundamental “computer hygiene” guidelines & technology solutions, such as using up-to-date operating systems, antivirus software, and routine scanning, said Silver. “Report abnormal behaviour to IT promptly,” he continued.

Use a centralized, company-approved storage solution.

Utilizing just the programmes offered by your home office business, notwithstanding your preference for different technology solutions, is another aspect of adhering to company policy. The IT administrator won’t have to manage several tech security settings that could or might not satisfy the organization’s security requirements, according to Stark. It establishes a baseline that is considerably simpler for the IT officer to remotely maintain on-site. When you are storing and backing up files working from home, this becomes extremely crucial. You must keep all of your work-related data in a safe place that your employer has authorised and is easily accessible, such as an online storage alternative. 

“It’s always a good practise to make sure that tech security sensitive data is housed and safeguarded centrally,” Hay added. “This enables central administration and control of all elements of data, such as ownership, access, availability, security, etc., with a decreased risk of duplicates existing in locations that are out of the company’s reach, like on a home office laptop, mobile device, or cloud environment.” After subscribing to an Office 365 subscription, Gooty said that his business was able to do this: “OneDrive for Business not only improves teamwork while working from home, but also securely keeps information in the cloud. On various devices, all staff have access to files, he claimed. So OneDrive is amongst the best technology solutions.

Best Practices for Employers

In order to reduce tech security concerns when employees working from home, Silver urges small business owners to adopt the following measures, regardless of whether their organisation uses full- or part-time remote workers.

1. Require home office employees to login to the network using an unsaved password, especially for VPN access.
2. Implement the proper session timeouts for critical programmes or apps. However, you can’t rely on every employee checking out repeatedly at the end of the day. A user shouldn’t have to log back in after walking to the kitchen to get oneself a cup of coffee.
3. Limit an employee’s access to programmes and files to only what is absolutely essential.
4. Reserving the right to revoke employee access if necessary. 
5. Offer remote file storage facilities and other technology solutions; don’t entrust anybody to keep your company’s data in your personal software or accounts.

Whenever it comes to technology solutions, home office users will always choose the simplest option. Since it might be difficult to control which software remote users use, Silver advised giving them the finest tech security programme initially. Most crucially, Hay emphasised the need for businesses to establish guidelines for employees working from home to utilise corporate resources away from the workplace. According to the statement, “this includes, but is not limited to, access to business data, appropriate usage of websites, approved apps, etc.” “An employee should make sure they are following the rules as much as possible.”

About the Author

Ahsan Azam is the author who specializes in avionics as well as research writing. The author has a keen attention to detail and is focused on providing interesting content to the readers.

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Posted on: January 6, 2023 at 12:11 pm