With at least 25% of the North American workforce at home, remote work is no longer a trend—it’s the new standard. And with this increase in remote work comes an increase in cybersecurity risks. Since about 88% of data breaches are caused by human error, your remote workforce has a huge target painted on its back.
But why are remote workers more vulnerable to cyber attacks, and what are some remote cyber security solutions you can implement to prevent them? Let’s find out.
Why Are Remote Workers a Target for Hackers?
While remote work can be a huge advantage, it’s important to know the security risks it poses.
- Lack of Physical Security: When all your team members are in one office, it’s much easier to secure the perimeter and control who has access to the building. But when your employees are spread out, it’s harder to know if someone has tampered with their home office equipment or gained access to their work devices.
- Use of Public Wi-Fi: At the office, employees are usually connected to a secure, private network. But when they’re working from their home wifi or while traveling, they’re often connected to public networks that are not secure and open to attack.
- Lack of Security Training: When you’re managing a remote workforce, it’s important to make sure that your employees are properly trained on cybersecurity best practices. Otherwise, they might not be aware of the risks they’re facing or how to protect themselves from attacks.
6 Cyber Security Solutions to Protect Your Remote Team
So what can you do to protect your remote workforce from these risks? Here are five solutions that your teams should be using for better remote cybersecurity:
- Data Encryption
One of the best ways to protect your data is to encrypt it. Data encryption is a process that scrambles your data so that it’s unreadable by anyone who doesn’t have the key to decrypt it. This means that even if your data is stolen, the attacker won’t be able to make sense of it.
Data encryption is a vital part of any security solution, and it’s especially important for protecting your remote workforce. That’s because remote workers are more likely to be using public Wi-Fi or working on unsecured devices, which makes them more vulnerable to data breaches.
- Cloud Services
Another way to protect your data is to use cloud services. Cloud services are a type of internet-based computing that allows you to store, share, and access your data online. This means that your data isn’t stored on your local devices, which makes it more difficult for attackers to steal.
There are a variety of cloud services available, and each one offers different features. Some common cloud services include Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud.
When you’re choosing a cloud service for your business, it’s important to select one that offers security features like data encryption and two-factor authentication. These features will help to protect your data from being accessed by unauthorized users. An experienced managed service provider can help you implement your cloud solutions so you can make the most of your investment.
- Virtual PC
Virtual PC is a Microsoft solution that enables you to create and install a virtual machine (VM) on Windows operating systems (Windows 7 or later). Using Virtual PC can greatly benefit your remote teams as it allows you to operate legacy OS safely on supported systems and run various applications within a virtual Windows environment.
With Virtual PC, users can access their virtual desktops securely and remotely over a network. Any device—including laptops, tablets, and smartphones—can access a Virtual PC. The desktop view and experience remains the same no matter where you log in from. In fact, many say the user experience is even enhanced from a physical workstation because tools such as storage and databases are readily accessible.
- VPN
If you have on-site servers, you should also be using a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) is a type of internet security that allows you to create a secure connection to another network. This connection is usually encrypted, which makes it more difficult for attackers to intercept your data.
VPNs are often used by businesses to allow their employees to access their network remotely. This can be helpful for remote workers who need to access sensitive data or systems that aren’t available publicly.
When you’re setting up a VPN, it’s essential to choose a reputable provider and to properly configure your security settings. Otherwise, you might be spending money on nothing.
- Multi-Factor Authentication
Another security solution that your remote teams should be using is MFA (multi-factor authentication). MFA is a type of security that requires users to provide two or more pieces of evidence to verify their identity.
This evidence can include something that the user knows (like a password or PIN), something that the user has (like a security token or key), or something that the user is (like a fingerprint or voiceprint).
MFA is an important remote security solution because it makes it more difficult for attackers to gain access to your systems. Even if they’re able to steal a user’s password, they won’t be able to log in unless they also have the user’s security token or key.
MFA is especially important for protecting sensitive data, like financial information or healthcare records. That’s why many businesses are now requiring their employees to use MFA when accessing these types of data.
- Email Filtering
Email filtering is a process that checks incoming emails for malicious content or spam. This helps to protect your employees from phishing attacks and other types of malware.
There are a variety of email filtering solutions available, and each one offers different features. Some common email filters include Spam Assassin, Mailwasher, and Anti-Spam Gateway.
When you’re choosing an email filter for your business, it’s important to select one that offers features like malware scanning and spam filtering. These features will help to protect your employees from malicious emails.
Get Remote Cyber Security with Innovative Network Solutions
There’s no doubt that remote work comes with some security risks. But there are a number of solutions that you can use to mitigate these risks. By implementing these solutions, you can help to keep your remote workforce safe from data breaches and other attacks.
At Innovative Network Solutions, we understand the importance of remote cybersecurity for businesses of all sizes. That’s why we offer a variety of remote cyber security solutions that will keep your data safe.
Contact us today to learn more about our security solutions or to get started with one of our services.