How Employees Can Securely Work from Home

More employers are turning to remote working solutions, and it seems like it has greater safety benefits. Besides a global pandemic, you aren't dealing with the risks of commuting to work. But are you protected? 

Is working from home safer than working at the office? 

Just like you need to be aware of your surroundings and traffic when you're driving to work, you need to be aware of your security surroundings when you're working at home.

If you're an employer, keep reading to learn how you need to protect your business.

1. How Employees Connect
Anytime you send something out into the Internet, there is ALWAYS a security risk. Anytime you're connecting remotely, you need to have security barriers. One way to do that is to fix how you're connecting to your company. Is it a website or cloud-based platform? Is there a firewall or password portal? Or are you connecting to your office computer from home? 

Good scenario: A common and the most affordable way to set up remote working solutions is to have your employees connect to cloud-based platforms, like Zoom, Slack, Trello, and G Suite. This allows your employees to communicate with another, send and receive documents, assign tasks, and more. 

Best scenario: While it's an investment, the best remote working solution is to set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN is essentially a portal in the Internet that creates a secure connection from your business's private server to your employee's computer at home. Think of it like a highway that was specifically built for only your employees to get to the office. No one else is able to drive on it. A VPN offers the highest security for your employees and your business data.

2. Where Employees Connect
Another scenario employers should be aware of is if employees are working from a public place like a coffee shop or library and are connecting to public Wi-Fi. Beware, public Wi-Fi is not secure. Anyone attempting to steal your data doesn't need a lot of experience to breach your data on public Wi-Fi. More commonly, someone can simply look over your shoulder and see what you're doing. Even if you're not accessing financial documents, any sensitive data like your next product launch could be compromised.

Good scenario: Create a company policy that doesn't allow your employees to work from public spaces on public Wi-Fi, like a coffee shop, library, or even a hotel. If employees must work from a place outside of their home, consider a reimbursement for a co-working space membership. Usually co-working spaces have secure networking solutions and private spaces for improved productivity. 

Best scenario: Ensure employees are connecting to the company's VPN on a secure Wi-Fi connection. 


What is your current business set up? Is your business secure or at risk of a data breach? Small Town Tech can find the right tools for you and your budget with a Free Tech Assessment, free with our Protech Enterprise plan.