A system is as secure as its weakest link: remote workers connecting to your network could prove dangerous if they’re not careful enough. Because of that, you probably want to know how to maintain your network security when you employ remote workers.

Providing tools and training, as well as encouraging secure connections, is vital to maintain security when employing remote workers. Companies should have countermeasures in place if employees get hacked. Frequent updates to security policies are a must.

You can only defend yourself from threats you know. For that reason, explaining why remote work could be a liability is a must. After doing that, we’ll tell you how to keep your remote workers safe from hackers.

Why Is Remote Work Potentially Dangerous?

Remote work isn’t inherently dangerous, although it can prove problematic if workers don’t take the necessary precautions to keep their data safe.

At the same time, companies often neglect the right way to approach cybersecurity due to not knowing how important it is.

These three reasons show why remote work could prove dangerous:

• Lack of training. Most of the time, employees are not the only ones to blame after a breach. Companies dedicate little time to teaching cybersecurity practices that may save them millions in damages.
• Negligent security protocols. Some companies see cybersecurity training as a one-and-done approach instead of regularly training their employees. That lax approach comes from having little concern for security protocols.
• Blurred line between home and work. Almost 1 in 5 remote workers use public networks. At the same time, many employees use their personal devices when doing work. That’s a recipe for security disasters.

However, it’s not impossible to have remote workers doing their job anywhere in the world if you provide a security policy for them.

How To Maintain Security for Remote Workers

1. Establish a Security Policy for Employees

Security is a vertical matter: employees will only fall short of the policy they have to follow. In other words, you can’t blame your employees if you’ve never told them how to stay safe when they work remotely.

A security policy entails everything users should do: how to create passwords, how to use devices outside of the office, how to handle information, and more.

Everything that falls under the scope of this article should be included in your new security policy. Once you have it, teach it to your employees.

2. Educate Users on Cybersecurity

Annual or biannual security training should be necessary for every employee, not remote workers alone. However, those who want to work from home should focus even more on learning cybersecurity practices for obvious reasons.

Cybersecurity is not about having the latest computer or downloading the newest protection software. It’s about understanding threat actors and knowing how to handle yourself securely online.

Learning about that is a must, and frequently refreshing these concepts is vital. However, knowledge alone isn’t enough.

3. Provide the Right Tools and Equipment

Once your employees know about cybersecurity, they need the right tools to practice what they’ve learned. There’s software for pretty much everything, such as securing passwords, connections, and computers.

You should encourage your users to use the following:

• VPNs
• Password managers
• Antivirus software

However, that doesn’t mean they should rely on anything they download or purchase. Hackers want their victims to be overconfident, so they can lure them into a trap.

4. Diminish the Use of Personal Devices

Almost 40% of the workforce use personal devices (such as their personal phone) to access corporate data, which could prove problematic.

Work devices can be monitored remotely, which could prove useful to check if employees are doing something other than working when they log in.

However, personal devices are out of reach for companies, and if an employee is doing something that could be deemed unsafe, there’s no way to know. You won’t notice if one of those devices is infected with malware until it’s too late.

5. Encourage Secure Network Connections

As you now know, a big percentage of the workforce uses public wifi to connect to the internet. That’s problematic: these public networks are far from safe. However, that doesn’t mean remote workers should only work from home.

If an employee wants to use a public connection, they should do so via VPN. 

At the same time, they should know VPNs don’t grant invincibility: you’re still susceptible to phishing scams, malware, and other threats when using one.

6. Create a Password Policy

Most of the time, the first wall a hacker has to face is the login page. They won’t access anything vital if they don’t have employee credentials. However, some users make it easier for hackers to figure out their usernames and passwords.

For example, the number-one most used password of all time is “password.” The second spot belongs to “12345.” The top 10 most repeated passwords are the most vulnerable too – and people continue using them.

Having a password policy in place allows employees to create strong passwords that provide protection from certain hacking attempts.

7. Use a Zero-trust Approach

A zero-trust approach is an amazing way for remote workers to handle cybersecurity, although it can prove bothersome for certain people, especially early on. However, its benefits are too many to disregard this approach.

The whole point of this system is simple: treat every remote device as new, which means you’ll have to verify every device that connects to your network – every time it connects to your network.

That may seem like a little too much. However, you can never be too sure when you want to keep your network safe. Treating each remote access as new could prevent a data breach from happening.

8. Monitor Remote Workers

Employees often make mistakes without noticing, which means not paying attention to what your workers are doing could start a metaphorical fire.

For that reason, monitoring employee activity is crucial to maintain a secure network.

Doing so could be a cause of concern for some. Explaining why and how this surveillance will occur should be enough to avoid misunderstandings. Therefore, letting your workers know they’re being surveilled is not only ethical but beneficial.

The goal here is not to reprimand but to re-educate. Once an employee makes a mistake, they should receive a warning and an invitation to revisit certain cybersecurity concepts.

9. Update Your Security System as Time Goes On

Remote workers are but one link in a huge network system. You have to revisit and update your security policy unless you want to have big holes hackers will take advantage of.

More often than not, updating your security policy means updating antivirus software, firewalls, and other filters. At the same time, frequently training employees on how to use these tools is a must.

As you can tell, education is the key to maintaining security when employees work remotely.

Conclusion

The best way to maintain security when employees work remotely is to educate them on cybersecurity matters and provide the right tools to keep your network safe from hackers. Updating your security system is also key to preventing issues when remote workers fail to do their part.