​How to Protect Data When Employees Work from Home

Over the last few years, we have seen a huge change in the workplace. More and more businesses are taking advantage of new technology and communication systems to allow their employees to work from home. In fact, evidence suggests that in 2019, more than 40% of Americans worked from home, at least part of the time. However, in 2020, partly thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this number has significantly increased. Although many people see working from home as a positive, as it gives employees a better work-life balance and allows flexibility, and also helps lower operating expenses for employers, it is not all good news.
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One thing most employer’s overlook when they allow their employees to work from home is data protection. When employees are in an office environment, any work they complete is being saved and protected by the security measures that you have in place. However, when employees are working from home and accessing remote servers, this potentially confidential information may not be secure. Here are some things employers can do to protect data when employees work from home:

​1.      Encourage the Use of Secure Cloud Services

One way to protect your employee endpoints is to ensure any confidential or important data is not stored locally. Instead, businesses should consider storing any private information in the cloud. Working in the cloud is useful in many ways; not only does it give employees on-demand access to data-storage devices and servers, but it also gives them access to any software applications from anywhere in the world. However, these systems need to be updated regularly to remain secure.

Although this may sound easy to do, many businesses struggle to find the time to update their systems. One way you can overcome this problem is to outsource this role to an IT security professional. Evolvtec offers an all-compassing security package. Not only do they take care of all of your system updates, maintenance, and upgrades so that you do not have to, but they also back up your private data and lock it away in a secure place so that it cannot be accessed by cybercriminals.

2.      Provide Employees with Security Advice

​Employees working from home should be given basic security knowledge and advice such as:

• Be aware of phishing emails
• Make sure their home Wi-fi routers are secure
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi
• Check the security of the devices that they are using

Thanks to the pandemic, there has been a huge increase in the number of phishing emails sent out. Employees should be reminded to avoid clicking links in emails from people they have not spoken to or do not know. It is also a good idea to remind them that the installation of third-party apps should be limited to bona fide app stores on personal devices. 

3.      Run a Password Audit

Businesses should consider running a password audit on their employee passwords. This does not mean that you need to ask your employees for their personal details; it simply means that any passcodes used to access your business services are changed and redefined in line with your security policy.
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The use of two-factor authentication and alphanumerical codes should be compulsory to protect data. Encourage your employees to apply the toughest possible protection across their devices and make sure that your company’s important passwords are securely stored.

Businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure compliance with data protection regulations. Whether your employees have always worked remotely or are having to adjust to it thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains of paramount importance that you think about data protection. This means making sure that you are storing and handling any personal or private information securely. Protecting data, whether that be staff, customers or students is incredibly important for everyone.