As the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to spread, and health experts continue to monitor the situation closely, one thing that most people can agree on is that businesses need to prepare and take some basic and pragmatic steps to ensure that your businesses stay up and running.
Currently the pandemic has suddenly thrust working from home directly into the center stage of business operations within Charlotte, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mooresville, NC, United States and the world at large. Many employers are sending employees home to work remotely for some periods, and with further cases expected, it is likely more companies will be forced to close their offices.
WHAT ARE THE TOP CHALLENGES IN WORKING FROM HOME
Lack of IT Resources
A lack of IT resources can cripple many businesses as they move to enable remote strategies. When workers are sent outside the normal domain environment the device management becomes a much bigger challenge.
Culture of Inclusion
An enabling business culture that surrounds your businesses transition to remote working is also critical for meaningful change. Ultimately, what holds a distributed and virtual workplace together is the trust, patience, and support employees have for one another?
STEPS TO SECURE REMOTE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Create a remote working roadmap
First, you need to be able to answer all these important questions with a BIG YES!
Do you have the necessary infrastructure in place?
Are your employees equipped with devices that can access the network remotely?
Are these personal devices or company devices?
Identity verification process
Verifying the identity of users with multi-factor authentication and other measures ensures that the right individuals have access to the right resources at the right time for the right reasons.
Prevent unwanted access
While inappropriate sites are usually blocked when operating on the company firewall, what happens when work devices are used beyond your company’s onsite domain? It is important to put measures in place on these work devices themselves to prevent unwanted access to certain sites and ensure that no matter where devices are used, restrictions remain in place.
Test the remote work environment
Test the environment and survey employees to ensure they can carry out tasks easily on your approved network. Accessing company data on unapproved and unsecured third-party sites is a huge security risk.
Real-time monitoring
You can gain valuable insights into your remote working environment through real-time monitoring and threat prevention programs that come as standard with many IT infrastructures and software licenses.
Information Technology especially communication, systems, and data is the lifeblood of most businesses. A strong IT system can give businesses a competitive advantage as well as streamline processes, simplifying communication, and adding value.
How Businesses Can Prevent Cyber Threat During this Pandemic Period of COVID-19
Amid the chaos and the hype, it can be difficult to get clear, accurate information about what is going on when a data breach occurs. While data breaches are a complex issue, equipping yourself with basic knowledge can help you handle the problem, the aftermath, and to secure your data as best as you can. The increasing magnitude and frequency of data breaches is a clear sign that business owners need to prioritize the security of personal data.
Keeping employees aware of these risks is also important. Hackers are well aware of real-time vulnerabilities and are organizing themselves to exploit them. There is no need to panic, especially if you are a small business, but it is imperative to make a decision.
Businesses are under attack on multiple fronts every day. Understanding that data breaches can come from several sources and realizing the need for a more robust security and response plan is critical.
Data encryption is a great preventive control mechanism. If you encrypt a database or a file it cannot be decrypted unless you have or guess the right keys, and it can take a long time to guess the right keys. Handling encryption keys involves the same effort as handling other digital-world protective measures, such as access control lists. Someone has to verify periodically who has access to that data and revoke access for those who no longer require it.
Choose the security measures that fit your business. Cracking even the most secure companies with elaborate schemes is now a greater occurrence than ever. Bring on a managed security service provider that can deliver a flexible, cost-effective solution and provide a seamless upgrade path.
The IT industry as a whole remains incredibly fluid and fast-paced and whilst the majority of businesses have systems in place, it is inevitable that there will be a need to acquire the services of a Managed IT Services Company. This usually happens when trying to update existing structures or when evaluating firms to provide ongoing IT support.
For those in the Huntersville, Davidson, Charlotte, and Mooresville, North Carolina area, there is just one name in managed IT services that you need to know. Ciprian IT has been providing the local area with technology solutions that drive your business forward for years. Reach out today if you are ready to take the next step with your business.
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