The storms that rolled through the Southeast last week certainly took their toll on the communities in their paths.
Beyond injury and property damage (clearly the most important consideration), storms like these should serve as a reminder that there will invariably be days throughout the year when employees can’t get into the office. From snow storms that close schools or road closures due to flooding, to internet and power outages at an office, an inability to make it to the office can present itself with little to no notice.
As any business owner knows, workloads and deadlines don’t magically disappear in times like these. Think of a CPA affected by the storms last week while in the midst of tax season, a Registered Investment Advisor who still needs to monitor the market’s activity on behalf of his or her clients, or an Insurance Agent who needs to help clients with damage claims. An unplanned missed day for them—or professionals in any number of industries—can have a substantial negative impact.
Thankfully, the technology of today provides the opportunity for most professionals to work from anywhere. However, before you allow your employees to work remotely, there are many important cybersecurity considerations.
This starts with investing in a rock solid Virtual Private Network, which will encrypt any data being transmitted. to ensure proper functionality for your team and the safety of critical data.
Once you have a VPN in place, here are some additional tips for you and your team:
- Ensure home WiFi is password protected. People often mistakenly think their home network is less susceptible to being accessed by someone else. This is a common misnomer, and you should make it a policy that only password-secured networks can connect to your VPN.
- Many employees may opt to work in a place like Starbucks rather than at their home. Working in a public environment has its share of risks, which can be mitigated by heeding the following advice:
- Connect to your VPN whenever possible.
- Rather than connecting to public WiFi, use a mobile Hotspot, but be sure to look into any additional charges from your cellular provider first.
- Make sure to have a screensaver and to lock the screen before going to refill your coffee or outside to make a phone call.
- Sit in an area where your screen is not available for everyone to see. This is especially important for professionals dealing with sensitive financial, healthcare or private data.
- Sit away from doors or the registers. These locations make it far easier for a thief to steal your computer in a blink of an eye.
If you need help with setting up a VPN, evaluating your current VPN or developing a set of technology guidelines for working remote, we’d love to chat. Get in touch at Solutions@TheTEK.com
