Employers should remind remote employees that their privacy policies and procedures will continue to apply when working from home, even when employees are used to working from home with sensitive information. It is recommended that policies and procedures be reviewed to ensure that personal data remains secure at all times. Companies and employees can mitigate the privacy and security risks associated with remote work by taking the necessary steps.
From employees not adhering to internet security protocols, like not using unsecured Wi-Fi networks, to employees carrying sensitive documents around in public places, remote work has added additional layers of security for businesses and their data. Remote work means the employer has less control over employee data security.
The GDPR requires companies to protect personal information and reduce the risk of data breaches through various security measures, but managing them is difficult for remote workers. In addition to verifying that a company’s IT infrastructure can support a large number of remote workers, management should verify that their organization has established security policies for remote work. This should include devices, employees’ data for corporate activities, and remote work access to corporate information systems.
The essential areas to consider are whether employees will use company-provided or personal devices, VPN or remote desktop and whether systems can be tested to work from home. Suppose a company is considering remote work for a large number of employees. In that case, management should first ask their IT department if their corporate network and infrastructure can handle the effort of, for example, hundreds of thousands of remote users suddenly gaining access to the built infrastructure at a fraction of the cost.
An employee who prefers using their machine, perhaps running macOS, will need to have appropriate security solutions installed and kept up to date, in line with the company’s overall IT security protocols.
Employers should pay particular attention to protecting the technology used by their remote workers. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to push organisations to move to remote work, setting the right remote work policies will be essential to protect sensitive data and applications. As public health pressure continues to drive the trend towards remote work, some key strategies organisations should consider implementing to keep their critical data and applications secure. Networks that include a centrally managed corporate network and remote/home workers present unique security challenges.
To avoid this, organisations may require remote workers to use antivirus tools on all devices connected to the corporate network. You can also use commercially available tools to help your IT teams set up remote access for your WFH or hybrid workforce.
Suppose your employer allows you to access a portal or remote access environment (such as Office 365). In that case, you can work online without downloading or syncing files or emails to your device. However, the most promising solution is to allow remote workers to work on their devices while remaining connected to the secure network of the home office. With the right technology, organisations can realise the benefits of remote work while providing the right balance of performance and efficiency and a high level of data privacy protection.
Infographic Created By CIO Technology Solutions, Tampa’s Leading Managed IT Company
