Businesses that have a remote workforce can often lower their costs and increase their productivity but at the same time, they experience some unique security risks.
They need to understand and address these risks that come with having remote employees or it could not only damage their reputation and cause them to lose customers but seriously affect their revenue to the point where they may need to close their doors.
Mobile device security
When employees work in an office, they usually use office devices with layers of security but when they work remotely, businesses often allow them to work on their own mobile devices, including their smartphones and laptops. The mobile devices employees use to work remotely can create security issues if they are not secure.
With authorized antivirus and security software, businesses can designate remote devices and secure them. Businesses also need to enforce security best practices, such as strict password policies.
Data breaches are so common today that customers want to know their information is safe. Running ID checks signals that a business wants to create a secure environment for them. A global identity verification solution, like ID Analyzer, enables businesses to run ID verification seamlessly.
GDPR Compliance
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance can be more difficult for businesses when employing remote workers. Businesses may be unclear about how to apply rules. For example, how do they apply the rules to an American citizen living in the EU but working remotely for an American company?
They may also worry that those working remotely neglect data security best practices. They may use a personal email address for sending company emails or use a WiFi hotspot or shared internet connection.
This is why businesses need to introduce very clear policies relating to remote employees and how they should handle business data. They need to specify in writing what they can and can’t do. They also need to identify and specify which documents should never leave the secure workplace. Increasing their awareness about security involves educating them about possible risks and the best preventative practices.
Asset management
Assets businesses own, such as data, software, and other business information has to be protected from threats. Market research, business ideas, reports, and even logos, is sensitive information and protecting and managing it needs to be a priority.
When data moves across a network of devices outside of a physical office and data exchange occurs amongst employees, asset management can be a huge challenge.
Enabling remote employees to work on their personal devices while staying connected to a business security network is probably the best solution. Various cloud-based IT management platforms allow businesses to connect, monitor and secure assets on the cloud without any worries about geographical boundaries.
Backup and recovery systems
Remote employees using their own devices may neglect backups and have inadequate recovery systems. This problem can become even more pronounced when they mix business and personal data, exposing both to more risks.
For example, if an employee’s laptop crashes due to downloading a malignant file for personal use, this means business data may be lost too. Recovering this lost data can be difficult.
Ignoring the issue of backup and recovery can prove hazardous and one of the best solutions for businesses is to use cloud backup. It is even possible to find solutions that cover office and remote work backup in a single account.
Investing in security technology may be one of the best investments for businesses with remote workers and sensitizing them to the risks can help them to join the fight to make a remote business work successfully.