Remote Team Security Focuses on Data Security

Remote teams are growing in enterprises, due to the widespread use of cloud solutions and mobile devices that make it possible to work anywhere, anytime. With data security a prime topic for businesses in every industry, remote team security is often one of the more pressing areas requiring attention.

Here are several practices your enterprise can put in place to support data security and equip remote employees to help protect data and systems:

Employee Training: Did you know employee errors are the most common cause of a data breach? That’s right; you may be fearing a hacker when the true threat is Rob, head of sales for the northeast division. Take time to invest in employee training, teaching them what phishing looks like and how to report a problem. Be sure to include information about the cost of breach-related downtime to your company.

Strong Passwords: A five-character password takes only about ten seconds to be broken, while adding just one more character bumps it up to a thousand seconds. Neither of these facts is particularly comforting, but it does demonstrate why a longer, more complex password is desirable for improving data security. You should also set up reminders for employees to regularly change passwords. This can feel like an inconvenience, but it’s an effective way to protect your data.

Two-Step Authentication: When you use a two-step verification process for data security, you get yet another level of protection for passwords. Two-step authentication provides a unique code, often via a different device, that is only good for a one-time access to the network. Even if a hacker is able to identify your password, they would be prevented from logging into your systems without that second step of authentication.

Using a VPN: There are several benefits to using a virtual private network (VPN) to improve data security. A VPN opens up a tunnel from your location to the network, securing data with encryption as it moves across the public internet. It also shields the user from barriers like censorship that may impede their progress posting on social media.

Shift to Cloud Solutions: While data security used to be one of the most-cited reasons for avoiding the cloud, it’s become one of the benefits. Cloud providers prioritize security and make it easy for remote users to work from anywhere. Instead of accessing your own network and systems from an unsecured location, remote users directly access the cloud.

Your remote team security needs to have a high level of buy-in from your employees accessing data via mobile devices. A clear set of policies supporting data security is a big part of that. Contact us at Clarksys for help in implementing a comprehensive security strategy.