One of the lasting impacts of the pandemic is that more people in the UK are now enjoying hybrid work. This is where you work from home remotely for a greater proportion of your week. Indeed, 38 per cent of adults in the UK report that they work from home at least once a week. However, many industries are unprepared for the implications of this. Cybersecurity is designed around employees working from the office, and remote working poses security issues with this. Below, we explore the cyber risks of this and how you can combat them.
More online work increase risk
Many tasks in a modern business will be performed online. With Cloud documents, emails/attachments, instant messages, third-party services and employees’ handsets, there are all sorts of different online tools that could become compromised. As a result, businesses will have to work out a strategy to keep these systems secure when workers are operating remotely.
Types of risk
There are different types of risks that your business should be aware of when considering remote working. For a start, phishing emails can leave your business at risk of giving away confidential information. On top of this, employees will be taking handsets and laptops home to work with: if these devices have poor security, it could leave you at risk of hacking or a virus. Another risk is that remote access to your network could also leave you liable to hackers.
What businesses can do
Control risk
The first step for your business is to try and control these risks. You can achieve this by creating an overarching working policy that informs workers about these risks and how to stay safe. Try and make your employees aware of phishing, the importance of strong passwords and general safety measures online.
VPN
Creating a VPN is essential too. This will create a private network that gives employees secure access to your systems. On top of this, any data shared will be encrypted by the VPN. If you’re unsure how you can implement a VPN, you can seek advice from financial consultants to devise a plan.
Encrypt home wi-fi
Another step to take is to encourage your staff to encrypt their home wi-fi. They can do this by changing their default password to something more secure and by using proper security software. By training your staff with best practices such as this, you can make your entire business more secure.
The rise in remote working has made cybersecurity even more of an important issue. But by following the guide above, you should be all set to boost your business’s online safety.