The global pandemic of #COVID19 has made us business owners surrender to the Work from Home lifestyle with little notice and preparation.

It has been difficult indeed and I’d be speaking for all leaders out there when I say, “it’s exhausting”.

Just how unannounced came the pandemic, cyber attacks come with no warning sign.

Organizations have never been ‘more vulnerable’ .

Usage of newer softwares and third party services to make things work online has never been thought of as a replacement for regular work life. Naturally, most organizations (especially SMEs) don’t have proper policies or procedures in place to combat the cyber challenges of the same.

Given the new reality that we are all in, it is really important to note that cyber security MUST be the top concern right now for any business.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at a simple checklist to protect your remote workers from cyber threats. 

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Has your IT/Security team approved all remote platforms and applications?

Does your IT/Security team have visibility into all remote worker activities?

Hacking incidents are up 400+% since Covid-19 crisis began; are you guarding against phishing and spear phishing threats?

Are your employees trained in doing the basics to prevent breaches?

Do you require strong password and username protections and two-factor authentication?

Are you safeguarding sensitive information—are protocols in place, is sensitive data encrypted, have you eliminated license-sharing?

Have you deployed a firewall?

Have you mandated VPNs for remote use?

Are employee WiFi connections secure and do employees understand that there should be no use of public WiFi connections?

Do employees understand that work use should be kept separate from personal use for laptops, PCs, and smartphones?

Can you encrypt where possible (Firevault works well for Apple products and Bitlocker for Microsoft products)

Do you have a regular data backup system?

Have you enacted a policy of limited/authorized only access? Access management is a key requirement for any cybersecurity policy.

Do you communicate regularly with leadership on security threats and options?

Do you have a resiliency plan for the next unexpected event?

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Reference

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