Essential Security Tips when returning to the Workplace
Updated: Jun 18, 2021
As the number of new local cases of COVID-19 remain low, and there is the gradual easing of Circuit Breaker measures, it’s time that we take a step back and consider the new security challenges during our return to the office.
In fact, no matter which country you are living in or current social distancing in right now, everyone is more or less in the same boat. This pandemic has driven huge, immediate changes to both our personal lives and working lives. I mean, it has literally become a one-eighty for many!
However, within our own businesses, many of us have discovered a capability to keep the ship afloat without the benefits of the office, and a lot of workers will find themselves comfortably working from home on a regular basis. I mean, previously starting work at 9am means waking up at 7.30am and leaving the house by 8.15am. But now, starting work at 9am means waking up at 8.30am or 8.45am which has been great right!
But while some predict that work-from-home is the new norm, others are still forecasting a mass return to the workplace. Yet, the reality is that we’ll likely land somewhere in between, especially while we work out the kinks of social distancing and beating this pandemic.
So whether you’re going back to the office daily or a few days a week, here are some essential key security steps:
Be cautious of the devices you are bringing between the office and home.
Just because your battery died and you had to use your home-laptop, doesn’t mean that it’s fit for use in the office. If your home device has a virus or any malicious content on it, bringing it to the office can expose the whole network. BYOD policy can seem trivial, but it’s been responsible for bringing down entire nuclear facilities, let alone your workplace.
Keep your work and personal devices separate!
Not only will it be embarrassing to bring up your teenager’s search history during a work meeting, but it’s also a huge risk to access corporate, confidential data on the same device where your family browses the web & downloads unknown content.
Utilise a VPN at all times.
A common form of attack, especially for larger workplaces, will be fake wi-fi and network compromise. Stay ahead of this by connecting to your business network through a secure tunnel, a VPN.
Break out of your bad WFH social media habits.
I think it’s safe to say that things have gotten a little bit laissez-faire during the circuit breaker. With so many distractions at home, your 9 to 6 job might have started to look more like a 12 to 12 job with around fifty breaks in between. Whether this is for better or worse, one thing is for certain; break any habits of using social media for work purposes. Simply put, any new platform you put work-data on is another platform it can be stolen or compromised through. Facebook and Gmail are not suitable avenues for delivering private data.
And of course, continue to maintain physical distancing measures, and continue to regularly wash your hands. Remember to keep your physical safety and wellbeing as a top priority!
For more information on heightening your IT security when going back to the office, you can check out our latest updated IT Security page here. Alternatively, you can click the green button below to contact us today!
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