Attracting top talent through remote work can revolutionise your business. However, it also leaves your sensitive data and assets vulnerable to hackers. Therefore, it is important to be prepared to address remote work security risks. There are a few points when recruiting talents globally: 

Firstly, you could consider which countries are least targeted by hackers and least risk to your cyber security. 

Secondly, look at regulations that govern data security. For example, GDPR is probably the gold standard when it comes to data security. 

Thirdly, research law enforcement. This indicates how quickly people will be punished when committing cybercrime. 

Fourthly, get to know the government grants. Cybersecurity grants are provided to SMBs who tend to be more susceptible to attacks. 

Fifthly, the level of cybersecurity awareness in the generation also affects how likely hackers would commit cybercrimes.

Six top tips for businesses who apply remote or hybrid working

There is no one way to secure remote working but instead you should make remote work access security an integral part of your employee’s ongoing training and workplace culture. Here are eight best practices for secure remote working within your business: 

1. Create strong authentication 

It starts by identifying the remote worker before a worker can access corporate data and assets. From this, you can build audit trails of the actions against the identity.

2. Update your systems and encrypt your devices

Outdated technology could open doors to hackers with credential information like credit cards being stolen. Cases like this will have a fatal hit on your business’s reputation as well as cyber security. It is highly recommended that all your devices be updated and encrypted with SSL certificates. 

3. Conquer internal security risks

Working habits could lead to malware or ransomware attacks that could put your company and your clients at risk. We really recommend hosting full employee training on cyber security and making it fun. You could get your team engaged in the training by setting up phishing email simulators so they could see the potential dangers in action. 

4. Avoid weak or duplicate passwords

Many businesses share duplicate passwords for multiple accounts. Research shows hackers rely on weak passwords when brute forcing PoS terminals. Use an automatic password generator to create safe and secure passwords companywide. 

5. Only upload files to secure systems

Hackers could upload their own files with malicious code that can be executed directly on your server. Therefore, it is important to avoid storing data in unencrypted storage, leaving data on devices without password protection, and attaching sensitive information directly into an email. 

6. Secure web application security

Using a combination of open-source CMS and cloud-based apps increases your remote work risks. It should be considered as part of your security policy to approve web app purchases and free downloads.

By Venky Sundar,

Founder and President of Indusface