How to Keep Your Company and Employees Safe from Hackers
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced modern businesses to allow employees to work remotely. While the arrangement has fostered some positive developments, the practice has revealed specific dangers. Whether your employees are at home, in the car, airport, or even a coffeehouse, they need access to your company’s most sensitive data.
Improvements in broadband connectivity have increased productivity and responsiveness to customer concerns. But it also provides unprecedented access to hackers who prey on unprotected networks and servers. It falls to employers to take steps to protect sensitive information proactively. That’s where our team at Vistanet can help by providing guidance and training.
Can Personal Devices Compromise Network Security?
As the boundaries between work and personal life diminish, your employees can do more for the company while away from work, but they can also take care of personal business on the same device. Mistakes can cost your company when your remote employees:
Visit insecure websites
Use their work password for other online accounts
Click on dangerous links
Allow friends or family members to use their work device
Businesses need to train their employees on proper common-sense protections, such as recognizing potential threats. Vistanet can help proactive companies develop cybersecurity awareness programs that teach employees what potential threats look like. Such programs should include examples of the dangers, such as recognizing:
The difference between secure and insecure websites
Phishing emails and dangerous email attachments
Suspicious websites
The type of information they shouldn’t share online, such as social security numbers
Inadequate passwords
Can Better Password Protection Safeguard Data?
Businesses can protect their data and that of their employees by encouraging better password security. Here are some ways we suggest you can improve password protection:
Create long passwords. Studies have shown that the longer a password is, the more difficult it is to hack. It’s also recommended to incorporate a mix of upper-case letters, numbers and symbols.
Change passwords regularly. While this may seem like a burden to employees who may already have enough of their own passwords to remember, it’s still one of the best ways to thwart hackers. Changing passwords every three or four months is a good safety practice.
Use unique passwords for different accounts. While just having one password for email, time cards and server access may be convenient, it just means that a hacker only has to discover one to have access to everything. Instead, encourage your employees to use different passwords for each digital access point. Also, regularly remind your employees not to use the same passwords for their business accounts that they use for their personal ones.
Adopt multi-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication requires employees to use a phone or email verification code with new sign-ins. This strategy usually stymies hackers, since they probably won’t have gained access to these other devices or accounts as well.
Try a password management tool. Well-designed password management tools auto-generate complex passwords that complicate the infiltration by hackers. They can also encrypt usernames and email addresses to any outside sources.
Vistanet includes security precautions in all our services. We recommend virtual private networks (VPNs) for all remote devices. VPNs hide your employees’ online identities in real-time, thus protecting your network and secure data.
If you feel the need for professional guidance, contact our security experts at Vistanet.