While some companies have always employed a flexible attitude to working that enabled their staff to tackle tasks out of the office, the recent pandemic has seen many more adapt and adopt this new approach.

Whether an enterprise is continuing its home-working practise or taking measures to cope with governmental guidelines, security is always a prime concern that must be managed effectively.

Security professionals charged with safekeeping confidential information commonly find protecting data on company premises far simpler. In control of the company network and the devices connected, it can be easier to monitor the transfer of information and restrict access when necessary. Staff working offsite on the other hand, must see to precautions personally often working on unsecure and equally personal hardware.

Maintaining workflow and processes during remote operations is essential to business resilience but it is the task of employers and their employees to ensure the data they use always remains protected. With this in mind, these five steps can provide useful guidance for companies and their staff when working at home:

1. Use secure equipment

When possible, staff operating offsite should only use secure devices to work from, that have been approved by the enterprise IT team. From home PCs to tablets and laptops, employees utilising their persona devices for work, present a high risk to sensitive data, even more so if equipment is shared with others, such as flat mates or family.

2. Employ a secure server

Secure servers are essential for employees operating offsite. Adopting this crucial protocol will make certain confidential content can only be viewed, used, shared, altered, or destroyed by those with the correct level of authorisation. Sensitive data must never be locally stored on home devices, so it is never lost or tampered with, causing a breach. Enterprise server use should be conducted by employees with security in mind. Signing in and out correctly will ensure no one else in the user’s household can access sensitive material.

3. Forbid personal email and text use

Service failures within enterprise mailboxes or servers can sometimes drive staff to use personal emails to message or forward important documents to avoid disruption. This is an extreme security risk and staff must be strongly discouraged from such actions. Similarly, personnel operating from home should not use texts on smartphones to exchange sensitive information; instead, staff should use company chat platforms and internal mail systems that can be secured.

4. Dispose of any unwanted documents safely

Company data printed offsite is a strong risk to confidentiality. It is vital to limit this option whenever possible. If documents must be printed off at home, staff must be instructed on the process of destroying them safely.

5. Choose a secure platform

With an understanding of the need for protecting data while working remotely, we at Galaxkey have built a secure workspace that allows employees to work anywhere on any device safely. Featuring easy-to-use encryption with no stored passwords our comprehensive security platform ensures your staff can keep working effectively. Contact our professional team today for a free online demonstration.