Due to the increasing prevalence of remote work, businesses now face a more complex cyber threat landscape. Managing cybersecurity was at least limited to a single location and network when everyone was working in the same office. However, when it comes to remote working, businesses need to be aware that business resources are being accessed from various places, networks, and devices.
We talked with Babble, an IT support London company that has been operating remotely since 2010 and has helped several of their clients in setting up safe remote working environments. Like many other IT providers, they understand the most crucial components of remote work cybersecurity – below are 5 examples:
1. Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication
Authentication and passwords are crucial components of every business. Nonetheless, they are particularly crucial for remote workers. There is a greater chance that equipment or accounts may end up in the hands of unauthorised individuals since a remote worker’s working environment cannot be fully monitored. By requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) and secure password practices for all remote workers, businesses may reduce these risks.
When a device or account needs a second form of verification in addition to a password, this is known as multi-factor authentication, or MFA. One-time passcodes produced by an authentication app or transmitted via email or SMS are examples of additional authentication methods.
Making sure each password is distinct and has a high entropy value—which indicates that it will take a long time (perhaps millennia) for a brute-force assault to break the password—are two aspects of strong password practices. Unique words, capital and lowercase letters, special characters, and numerals are all used in a secure password.
2. Endpoint Management
Data breaches are more likely to occur when remote workers carry their devices outside of the traditional business’s boundaries, such as the offices. Implementing unified endpoint management (UEM) is the answer to this problem.
A centralised system called unified endpoint management (UEM) enables a business to oversee the security of any device connected to its network. This includes (but is not limited to) controlling the software that can be installed on a device (depending on whether the device is owned by the business or not), remotely erasing business data from a device, and imposing data governance principles on devices. Babble, a managed IT services London company that many businesses rely on, has provided UEM solutions to several clients and attested to the fact that it is the most complete method of safeguarding business data on devices.
3. Employee Awareness and Training
Employee awareness is a crucial component of a business’s overall cybersecurity, in addition to its policies and technology.
Employees who operate remotely need to be well-versed on cybersecurity threats and the best ways to reduce them. A remote worker should, for instance, be able to spot a phishing attempt, determine if a website is safe, and protect the business’s privacy and confidentiality (as well as its data).
Businesses should provide frequent training sessions to keep staff members’ knowledge of cybersecurity up-to-date and consistent.
4. Secure File-Sharing
In business, transferring files is a standard procedure. However, if the proper file-sharing techniques are not employed, there is an increased chance that files might be intercepted when workers are working remotely and using networks other than the business’s one.
Babble claims that using a cloud file management system, such as Microsoft SharePoint, is the most dependable and safe way to share files. Having served several businesses as Microsoft 365 consultants, they have witnessed the widespread use of cloud storage as a safer option than transmitting data over the internet.
Files stored in the cloud are only in transit for a brief period of time. They are safeguarded by the platform’s underlying security once they are in the cloud. The employee may then provide a link to the cloud storage site rather than the file itself, and only the persons they designate and give access to will be able to view it.
5. Update and Patch Management
Another crucial component of a business’s cybersecurity is software security. Software frequently has flaws that hackers and crackers might take advantage of. Vulnerabilities may be unknown (a zero-day vulnerability) but discovered by hackers, or they may be known to the developer.
Regular and consistent update and patch management is the greatest approach to guarantee that the software used by employees is as safe as possible. A software becomes more secure as vulnerabilities are fixed with the aid of updates and patches.
