With the coronavirus pandemic, a massive exodus from office buildings has taken place. As a result, millions of workers who once undertook a daily commute now start their workday not far from their bedrooms. More than half of Americans are now working from home, a Gallup poll found.
That said, many are still unprepared for the life of remote work—Forbes, for instance, found that 72 percent of remote workers don’t have an office space, and 40 percent of them don’t even have a desk.
Beyond the physical challenges of setting up a home office, there are numerous cybersecurity concerns as well. For many companies, sensitive information that was formerly accessible only in the office is now available anywhere—often on personal employee devices. As a result, cybersecurity is a top-of-mind question for employers and employees in this age of remote work.
If you are keen to protect your home office from cybersecurity threats, consider the following tips as you set up and refine your remote work space:
- Use company devices: If possible, use company devices for all work-related matters, as using personal devices can increase risk and liability.
- Get a VPN: A virtual private network (VPN) helps keep your data private by filtering it. Your company may even provide a VPN for work hours.
- Connect to private WiFi: Avoid the temptation to work in coffee shops and other public spaces, as these public WiFi networks are often vulnerable to snooping.
There are differences between a CyberGhost VPN and a Private Internet access provider, so ensure you do your research before you choose.
Beyond these tips, you’ll want to watch out for phishing attacks (people sending suspicious emails to try to access your data) and practice good password hygiene—especially by avoiding duplicate passwords across multiple services. With this and more in mind, you’ll have a secure home office, a place of productivity and peace.
See the infographic from The Zebra below for a list of their best remote work cybersecurity tips.
