Making a shared working space for your employees may create some security problems for your business. It all starts with a good intention, should you choose to move your operations to the virtual realms in order to improve the speed and efficiency of your teams. This enables the whole company to share and exchange information faster through meeting rooms, formal conference calls, and informal interactions that boost collaboration. Altogether these boost the productivity and the speed at which remote workers operate in a physically separated working environment.
What is the cost?
Security problems don’t come until later on. Higher employee productivity brings more security risks due to the enhanced use of physical devices for work purposes from remote locations. Users are often uninformed about security controls which should preferably be in place, in advance, for them to use and protect your company data during work. Some of the security problems which arise from the heightened use of shared working spaces are easily eliminated by having security enhancement tools in your traditional desktop environment, or by employing a third-party cloud vendor to look after your entire desktop deployment with all of your security features.
Common Security Problems
VPN Hacker Attacks
Virtual private network (VPN) helps users send and receive information by extending private networks to public ones and thus making sharing easier on a virtual private network. Greater use of VPNs worldwide created a security problem by giving hackers a merrier opportunity to gain access to various corporate networks. Breach into the network usually happens through combinations of login credentials attempted by hackers until an entry is finally gained.
Phishing threats
This is one of the most common security risks remote workers face these days without proper security measures in place. Phishing attacks are very commonplace and you can usually recognize them by seeing malicious links in emails or in messaging applications used by remote workers. Once clicked, the link forwards a download of harmful malware onto your physical device, which is then threatening the security of your entire network and company data.
Lack of user awareness
One of the biggest security problems for businesses not utilizing the cloud is the lack of employee awareness of the threats that lurk in every corner of the web. Proper security management, infrastructure monitoring, and persistent maintenance are needed to avoid having user negligence threaten your company data. A lot of the time, these threats come from using unprotected networks or unauthorized mobile devices to gain access to important work applications storing valuable company data.
How to tackle these security problems?
Anti-Virus
It is no surprise that anti-virus software can prevent viruses from spreading to your network and harming your company data. Installing the most up-to-date software on each and every end-user device helps with mitigating the risk of viruses corrupting your system and exposing your data. One way to approach this is through cloud-hosted services like DaaS, which give you a comprehensive cloud antivirus with free patches and recurrent updating with the latest security features. You can also manage your network security internally by accessing employee computers remotely and assisting them with installations and updates on a regular basis.
Data Security Policies
Establishing data security policies that function as guiding principles in the shared working space will improve your data security by informing your team about the safe handling of data and important documents. Every reputable company must have a culture of security that prompts strict adherence to the company protocols regarding the use of networks, company applications, and unprotected endpoint devices. You can find examples of data security policies and create your own versions with amendments that work for your specific business purpose.
Security Training
One of the best ways to combat the most common security problems is by boosting your staff’s awareness of the existing security threats. Working remotely comes with responsibility which each employee should be able to take freely when provided with the appropriate security training at their workplace. Data security policies are a great place to start by establishing the framework for safe remote working practices, but the actual training is what mitigates the risk directly, by reducing the risks of uninformed actions and human error.
The cloud
One of the most effective ways to protect your company from common security issues like phishing threats, malicious attacks, and staff who are unaware of all the lurking risks out there, is by keeping all your data safe on cloud servers. Cloud vendors like we-IT are experts in data security, infrastructure monitoring, and the prevention of data breaches. We keep your company data safe by looking after each aspect of your desktop deployment at all times.
