Many businesses have shifted to a hybrid work model since the global pandemic. This enables companies both the traditional office setting and the flexibility of telecommuting. According to a recent report, 83% of workers stated that the hybrid workplace model motivates them to be more productive.
Although there are many benefits to a hybrid office, additional cybersecurity risks come with it. When employees work remotely, they may be more susceptible to cybercrime if they fail to take precautionary measures.
If your company operates in a hybrid work environment, here are a few simple measures your team can take to minimize cybersecurity risks:
1) Train Employees on Cybersecurity Best Practices
Did you know human error contributes to about 95% of all business breaches in the United States?
If your employees don’t know how to protect themselves online, they may mistakenly click on suspicious links or download a virus while working at home. This may expose your company’s data to breaches and other costly security incidents.
By providing comprehensive cybersecurity training, you can ensure that employees are vigilant about potential threats while working remotely. Training should explain how to spot online threats, and more importantly, how to avoid them.
2) Encourage Better Password Management
You can also minimize cybersecurity risks by encouraging remote workers to use strong passwords for all programs and devices. A strong password should be at least 12 characters long and contain a mixture of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. Additionally, employees should avoid using the same password twice. You might want to consider a password manager application that can create strong passwords for you that are stored in a secure site.
It’s also a good idea to ensure your employees use multi-factor identification to access company accounts from remote locations. Multi-factor identification requires users to provide two or more forms of identifying information to access a secure account. This minimizes the chances of unauthorized users, even those in the home, from accessing sensitive business files.
3) Teach Remote Workers to Avoid Public Networks
When working remotely, your employees may be tempted to work at a coffee shop or other public spaces for a change of scenery.
However, free public Wi-Fi networks can be dangerous. Hackers can easily spoof public Wi-Fi networks to capture login credentials and other sensitive information.
To avoid these risks, teach your employees the dangers of using public networks. If your employees choose to work from a public space, encourage them to use their cellular network or provide a VPN.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the measures your employees can take to protect themselves and the company in a hybrid work environment. By following these tips and emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity, your team can minimize risk while maintaining the flexibility of a hybrid workplace.
If you would like to learn more about keeping your company secure, join us at our Inland Empire Cybersecurity Summit 2021. Attendees of this free lunch and learn event will gain insights on how to protect their organization from the latest threats – and have a chance to interact with security experts.
