With so many more employees working from home, what are the risks associated with data storage and what precautions should we take?

Companies are extending their work-from-home policy into the new year, as the Covoid virus continues it’s trajectory. However this has far reaching data security consequences. Safeguarding data is hard enough in a secure environment but working from home with insecure WiFi networks on family laptops riddled with malware is a recipe for disaster! So what should be done?

Secure your home WiFi network against unauthorised access

• Change the default name of your home WiFi
• Make sure your password is strong
• Enable network encryption
• Turn off network name broadcasting
• Make sure you have a good firewall
• Use VPNs to access your network

Cyber security for your devices

• Use strong anti-virus software sanctioned by your organisation
• Scan hard drives regularly for malware
• Make sure your operating systems and programs are up to date
• Beware of specific Covid phishing emails aimed at home workers
• Encrypt your devices
• Enable automatic locking
• Enable two-factor authentication and use an authenticator app
• Physically lock your devices when not in use and use find my device

Separate work and personal devices

• Don’t shop, bank and text on the same computer you process confidential information
• Be careful about what information you share on social media
• Only use applications and software sanctioned by your IT department
• Store information on your central network or cloud service, not locally
• Download the files you need and no more
• Don’t share devices or leave them unlocked