Over the last 10 years networking and mobile technologies have seen significant advancements resulting in more and more people working from remote locations. It is common place for employees to work from trains, hotels, client offices and their homes. The flexibility in working practices has allowed companies to keep employees regardless of location. More and more organisations now have a virtual office this is causing some security challenges for IT departments.
- BYOD – Bring your own device schemes are quickly becoming popular in the work place especially as smartphones and iPads become more common. In a recent study 21% of IT directors revealed they were in the process of implementing a BYOD scheme. This does cause serious headaches for IT managers who now have to think about securing individual devices outside of the network. It can be difficult to ensure these devices are safe to use and have not been exposed to viruses when not connected to the office network. There is also the issue of inaccurate information being present on employee’s own devices, without a way to accurately monitor this.
- Physical security – One of the biggest issues for remote workers is physical security. Offices are usually heavily protected from crime and have a security presence in the building deterring theft. With remote workers equipment often spends a lot of time in a car or home which is more of a target for thieves. Preventing laptop theft can significantly reduce data security risks. Simply supplying security locks and advanced password protection on devices can help reduce this risk. Implementing proper tracking for personal vehicles and fleet vehicles can also reduce this risk.
- Confidentiality – Another issue with remote working is that workers often spend a lot of time on the phone usually in an unsecure location. For field sales reps calls are often conducted in hotels lobbies or motorways services where anyone could overhear a conversation including confidential information.
How do you keep data safe?
It is of no doubt that remote working does cause issues for companies trying to minimise data security risks but there are solutions to these problems.
One of the solutions is to deploy a cloud based software and storage solution. This will allow users to access files using a secure connection via the internet. All documents will be saved to a cloud server minimising the chances of data losses from hacking as well as physical theft.
The best way to minimise data losses is to educate your workforce on data security this will ensure they’re vigilant when it comes to sensitive information.
Jon Smith is an EMEA e-Marketing Specialist for Insight Cloud Computing Services & Solutions