4 steps to migrate your small office online safely and securely
The Covid-19 global pandemic has overturned business operations around the world due to the sudden and swift shift of millions of workers from on-site to remote work environments.
Facing this challenging situation, enterprises find themselves bound to rush into a “tech on the fly” mode to keep their businesses up and running. While emphasizing “connectivity first”, companies may be unintentionally overlooking the hazards of home office security amidst the emergence of new forms of cybersecurity risks that any remote work may be exposed to.
This change requires a revamp in skillsets and infrastructures on a corporate level in order to secure a safe work-from-home model.
Companies & employees may migrate their office safely and securely by respecting the following guidelines:
1. For business correspondences, use a professional email hosting instead of a personal email to access work emails. (Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook.com, etc.). Office 365 is the recommended interface that includes all required tools and familiar office applications for a smooth business operation.
2. For file sharing, use cloud-based document management systems (DMS) like Dropbox, Box etc. designed to securely share documents. Avoid using free services like Wetransfer and avoid sharing files from your own personal service (Google drive, Onedrive, etc). The ideal approach for big corporations remains to setup their own sharing service using Nextcloud based on a professional consultation.
3. For communication, use Zoom, Teams, Skype for video/audio calls and slack, chanty, skype for messaging, as they are encrypted. Do not send sensitive data using third party services (bank details, passwords, pin codes, etc.) no matter the platform used. On a wider scale, if you have loads of private data to be sent back and forth, either setup your own communication server upon the consultation of an IT professional or use an encrypted messenger platform like “signal”.
4. For accessing locally hosted applications at the office, use a VPN server and secure it with Multi-Factor-Authentication. Teamviewer, Anydesk, or RDP are not recommended and may incur a breach risk. An exemplary solution would be to move your locally hosted apps online. Apply control access to and give users the ability to access those apps anytime from anywhere securely through MFA VPN upon the consultation of an IT Professional.
As cybersecurity threats are on the rise driven by global connectivity, digital security becomes more vital in order to avert data breaching, cyber-attacks and hacking. Businesses of all sizes can be affected by regular security incidents as cyber risks can come from any level of your organization and inflict irreversible damages including economic and reputational costs.
This is why cybersecurity should become a major concern for every individual and organization for a safer and more secure working environment whether at home or at the office.