More and more companies are offering smartphones, tablets and laptops to enable their employees to work remotely. Make sure your employees use them securely so that your company’s cyber security is not compromised.
Working remotely can bring significant benefits to both employees and businesses. It allows flexibility that provides a better work-life balance and can also increase productivity :
There is less stress in the office and at work. People feel empowered to work in a way that suits them and the company.
– Daryl Wilkinson, Digital Development Group Leader at the Nationwide Building Society
However, with the use of corporate devices in different locations, the threat of hacking is increasing, as the University of Staffordshire found in 2014 when the data of 125,000 students was stolen from a laptop left in a car.
So how do you secure corporate devices? Here are five ways.
1) Secure devices through 2-step authentication
Two-step authentication is an excellent way to increase the security of remote devices. This typically involves the user entering a password to access the device and then entering a PIN code. The additional layer of security creates millions of password variations, making access and data theft very difficult for hackers.
2) Storage in the Cloud
Rather than asking your employees to save all their sensitive files and documents on their devices, set up a server in the cloud where all files are stored. In this case, if a device is stolen, there will be no files saved on the hard drive to take. It also means that the data is backed up, so employees won’t have to worry about redoing all their hard work.
3) Ban unknown USB flash drives
USB Flash Drives are known to be an easy way for hackers to spread malware to devices in order to take control of them. In fact, you may have read in the newspapers recently that IBM has decided to ban employees from using USB devices at work. Make sure that the only USB devices to be plugged in are the ones that have been distributed by the company. If workers are using personal USB ports, make sure that IT staff examine them first to make sure that no malware is hiding in the shadows.
4) Educate and set the rules
Before distributing devices for remote use, have a written set of policies that includes the above tips. Make your employees aware of the dangers that exist in the world outside the office and make sure they are aware that working remotely requires a certain level of responsibility on their part.
5) Monitor all remote devices
As employee computer monitoring software becomes more and more advanced, you can now monitor all devices remotely from your office. Software such as DigitalPWC can be installed on all desktop devices, no matter where they are used.
You will be able to monitor files created and accessed, as well as connected USB ports, connected networks, and sent and received emails. There is a whole range of features that, in addition to those mentioned above, will provide much needed security, which you can learn more about by clicking here ici.
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