Best Practices for Working Remotely

As you’re probably aware, there’s been a huge rise in companies working remotely in the aftermath of COVID-19. While technology has become more accommodating of this than in any other era, it also opens up the possibility for cybersecurity issues that businesses may not be aware of. In addition, according to Security Magazine, 76% of employees admit that working from home during COVID-19 has blurred the lines between their personal and professional lives. This helps explain why 70% of office workers surveyed admit to using their work devices for personal tasks (Source: HP Wolf Security). This is a point of concern for your IT environment because it further opens up the possibility of a cybersecurity threat.

Below are some tips and best practices to share with your staff about cyber safety measures while working remotely:

• Keep your work device secure; only use your personal device(s) for personal activities
• Examples of personal activities that increase risk to businesses include: accessing personal email, accessing social media, online banking, shopping online, gaming, and downloading files.
• Always verify that links or attachments within email are legitimate before clicking on them.
• Use a Password Vault - Password vaults store passwords in an encrypted format and allow you to generate unique and secure passwords.
• Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) should never be saved on the local computer drive unless the device is encrypted. Even then, due care should be taken, and you should consider whether you really need to save the data locally.
• Examples of PHI and ePHI data include: patient names, addresses, dates (including birth, discharge, admittance, and death), telephone numbers, and email addresses.
• Examples of PII data include: full name, social security number, driver’s license number, bank account number, passport number, and email addresses.
• Cell phones should never be charged using a business computer.  Many companies restrict the use of USB devices that are allowed to be plugged into the computer.
• Always lock the computer (Windows key + L key) when leaving your desk, even if the computer locks after 10-15 minutes of inactivity or you are working from home.
• Use a virtual private network (VPN) to secure your internet traffic. A VPN allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. VPNs shield your browsing activity from prying eyes on public Wi-Fi and more.

With these steps and more, ANATOMY_IT’s team of experts can help ensure your business is fully protected in a remote working environment.