How to upgrade your remote work security

Cyber attacks are disruptive for individuals and devastating for businesses. When your team members work remotely, your company’s information can be at a higher risk. 

Ensuring remote work security is an important step to building a strong remote workforce.

In this article, we'll explore how to protect your company from remote work security risks and educate your employees on how to protect themselves online.

What is remote work security?

Remote work security is the protection of access to company-related and personal information for remote businesses and individuals who work remotely. It's especially important for companies with hybrid, distributed, and fully remote teams, because it has more devices connected to the company.

To keep up with cyber safety demands, companies need to protect their data to handle advanced, multi-angled threats.

You can manage remote work security from three angles:

• Secure access to software

Remote companies need to use safe and secure platforms for all business functions to protect company and employee data from attacks. This software can include HRIS and communication platforms. 

• Endpoint security

Remote companies often have employees and clients that use their personal devices. Make sure you have security measures that protect all these devices from threats. 

• Employee training

Remote teams need adequate safety training to inform them of common issues and threats to watch out for, as well as what steps to take in the event of a cyber attack.

Why is remote work security important?

Remote work security measures help you protect sensitive business information. In fact, the global average cost of a data breach is around USD 4.88 million.

Data breaches wreak havoc on your company’s image, too. You lose the trust of your clients and employees, who will favor companies with safe cyber practices. In many ways, remote work security impacts your company's reputation and financials.

Some cyber attacks to look out for include:

• Malware: Malware means melicious software, such as computer worms, spyware, ransomware, adware, or trojans.

• Phishing: The attacker impersonates a trusted contact, like a family member or bank employee, to steal your information.

• Password attack: The attacker cracks your password and uses it to access your accounts.

• Man-in-the-middle: The attacker intercepts legitimate correspondence between you and another party.

• Denial-of-service: The attacker targets your systems, servers, or networks by flooding them with traffic and exhausting their bandwidth.

How to protect your remote business from cyber attacks

Take precaution to secure your software and your devices. You also need to think about company data, employees’ personal information, and sensitive information.

Here are ways to protect your remote business from cyber attacks:

1. Use end-to-end encryption software 

Encryption software uses cryptography to protect private information when moving from one source to another. End-to-end data protection is one of the best ways to look after your employee and client data. 

When you’re sending unprotected information from Point A to Point B, hackers often attack while the data is in transit. Encryption software “hides” the information at Point A by scrambling it with a secret key so that it’s indecipherable. It then “unlocks” the information at Point B through a process called decryption. 

Encryption software can especially help you run payroll, store employee data, and stay compliant with local laws.

2. Perform payroll security audits

Performing a payroll audit can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. But it’s also a great way to identify inaccuracies and gaps in your payroll security practices. 

Payroll involves sensitive employee information like social security numbers, bank details, salaries, and tax information, making it a prime target for cyber threats and internal misuse. A payroll security audit ensures that you have appropriate measures in place to protect sensitive data, comply with legal standards, and maintain payroll accuracy and integrity.

3. Beware of virtual meeting attacks

Remote and hybrid teams frequently use virtual meeting platforms, but they can lead to cyber attacks. Here are some security tips for virtual meetings:

• Make all meetings private or accessible through passwords

• Use platforms with end-to-end encryption

• Keep your software and apps up-to-date for latest security measures

4. Use a safe, centralized storage system

When your data is spread out over multiple platforms and storage systems, you have a much larger digital surface area to protect. A safe, centralized storage system helps you concentrate and strengthen your security efforts. 

Make sure you team members use your storage system instead of their own software. Employees can recover lost work and protect sensitive business information behind the company’s firewall. 

5. Regularly review your safety measures

Remote work cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving. So be proactive to make sure your security measures are relevant and efficient.

For example, you can aim for quarterly or biannual reviews to stay updated on potential threats and new security technologies. Additionally, trigger an immediate review after a security incident, significant software update, or organizational change (e.g., new employees, new devices, or policy updates).

Train remote employees to be safe online

Even with world-class encryption and diligent security audits, a business can still be at risk — your employees need to know how to stay secure online. For remote work security, you can create a remote access policy and host regular training sessions.

Let’s look into each of these in detail.

1. Create a remote access policy

A remote access policy (also called a remote access control policy or a remote work security policy) is a guideline for employees to follow when connecting to your company’s network. Employees can work remotely while keeping corporate data safe from hackers, malware, and other cybersecurity threats. 

Here are some main functions of a remote access policy:

• Define the employee’s access and permissions on company platforms 

• Mandate security measures, like virtual private network (VPN) usage and firewalls 

• Guide employees on ensuring endpoint security 

• Describe security training expectations 

• Describe the consequences for violating the guidelines set in the remote access policy 

With your remote access policy, encourage your employees to do the following:

• Use antivirus software: Antivirus software is your first defense against malicious cyber attacks, including malware and phishing attacks. 

• Secure their home Wi-Fi connection. To secure their Wi-Fi connections, employees should enable network encryption and regularly update the router’s firmware. Ask your employees to use a strong password, change the name of the network they use, and limit network access to a certain number of devices.

• Use unique and private passwords. Encourage employees to use passwords with at least 12 characters that include numbers, symbols, and different cases.

• Use a VPN. A virtual private network (VPN) creates a secure communication channel between employees devices and company's infrastructure, regardless of the location.

• Protect you devices. Employees use mobile devices in various locations. Ask them to lock their devices after a period of inactivity to protect sensitive information when in public spaces.

• Never give out OTP codes. Some phishers pretend to be calling from the bank, your phone provider, or even your company, saying that someone is trying to steal your information and that you need to reset your password with a one-time password (OTP) to secure it. Employees must never give out OTPs, especially when working on company software or business accounts.

2. Host regular security training sessions 

Regular security training keeps your employees up to date on the latest cyber threats, data concerns, and remote work security challenges. During these training sessions, teach them the risks of using public Wi-Fi networks, explain how to recognize common threats, and outline best practices for creating and storing passwords. 

You can also give your employees a detailed protocol they can follow if they’re ever caught in a cyber attack. Raising awareness to security risks will make employees more prone to spot security threats and prevent them ahead of time, raising the overall security maturity of the company.

Strengthen your remote work security

Cyber security isn’t something you want to leave to chance. Limiting your apps and software is one of the simplest ways to take control of your remote work security. 

Remote operates as a fully remote company, so we’re no strangers to possible security threats. For example, all team members at Remote protect sensitive data through two-factor authentications (2FA) and single sign-ons (SSO) for all logins.

Plus, Remote HR Management boosts your remote work security by storing all your employee and payroll data in one secure platform. You don’t need to worry about working with different third-party providers, multiple logins, or scattered data storage — Remote HR Management centralizes all your employee data with built-in controls and active monitoring for maximum security.

Create your free account today to explore how Remote can help you manage your HR process easily and securely.

Consolidate your global HR

Use Remote HR Management to bring all of your team, data, and processes together in one simple platform.

Create your free account