The past year has brought many challenges for businesses of all sizes, particularly due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns and ensuing health and safety regulations. Amid these unprecedented circumstances, you likely had to make many difficult business decisions. Perhaps most importantly, many companies had to determine how to continue operations remotely during stay-at-home orders. Security and business continuity implications of this new workspace paradigm featuring a dispersed workforce left some employers scrambling to make sure team members could work from home safely and efficiently.

Unfortunately, because employees rarely have the appropriate security measures in place at home, they face an increased risk of falling victim to data breaches and other cyber-attacks. Therefore, if your business is continuing to operate remotely in 2021, it’s crucial to develop strategies and provide them with the right tools to stay safe online.

The Most Important Safety Considerations for Remote Workers

Given the many remote technologies and communications resources (such as Zoom video conferencing), it was inevitable that businesses would start shifting away from the traditional workplace model at some point. However, few could have foreseen the urgent need for remote work in 2020 – and the landscape does not look like it will change any time soon. While some companies have returned to modified on-site work, many are choosing to keep employees home indefinitely.

If your organization is still operating remotely, there’s no better time to ramp up your cybersecurity, cloud security, and Zoom security efforts. Here are a few ways you can keep your remote workers and company data safe:

Employ Digital “Social Distancing” Practices

Metaphorically, cyber-viruses aren’t all that different than real-life ones. It all comes down to identifying risks, then taking precautions to avoid them. While you’re social distancing in real life, you can also ask employees to employ this concept to reduce risks online.

A few ways you can introduce and reinforce this strategy among remote workers include:

Set up a virtual private network (VPN) solution that secures remote connections.
Use a secure email gateway that detects spam and phishing attacks.
Employ a protected access solution that ensures only authorized devices can gain access to the network.

Protect Your Communications Platforms

Dynamic communications tools have become essential over the past few decades; however, their importance has ramped up at a lightning pace since the emergence of COVID-19. Zoom, for example, has taken a stronghold position in video conferencing. If this application is new to your organization, it’s crucial to have the right information to ensure you’re utilizing it safely.

Here are a few ways to achieve effective Zoom security:

Use the web browser instead of the app to give you more power over permissions and data collection. Your web browser provides an extra layer of protection, serving as a barrier for your sensitive data.
Utilize the Zoom waiting room, which allows you to screen users before they join the call. This setting is crucial for avoiding Zoom-bombs, a disruptive cyber-attack where unauthorized users access Zoom calls and harass participants.
Be aware of fake Zoom apps (and make sure your employees are too). Given the platform’s meteoric rise, many impostors tried to mimic it to take advantage of busy and distracted workers. These fake apps act like malware, so beware of counterfeits.

Invest in Cloud-Based Solutions

Cloud security solutions can help protect your employees’ devices even when they’re not in the office. These services are highly effective for ensuring secure remote environments. Once issues are detected, cloud-managed security solutions can be deployed in seconds to help mitigate damage.

NerdsToGo: Remote IT Support You Can Trust

Managing a team of remote workers isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to ensuring the safety of your organization’s data. Sometimes you need to call on a team of experts for help with difficult tech issues. Luckily, NerdsToGo is here to help. Our team of certified Nerds understands the need for prompt, reliable, and effective IT service to keep your business running. That’s why we provide remote IT support to resolve all of your technology issues.

Whether you’re dealing with a phishing attack or a full-blown data breach, we can access your devices remotely to identify and address the issue.

NerdsToGo offers fast, efficient, and cost-effective business IT solutions. From wireless networking issues to broken laptops, printers, and more, we can resolve any tech headache that might arise. Plus, if you’re continuing remote work throughout 2021, we can assist your in-house IT team in setting up a secure network for your employees. That way, you can stay safe both online and in the real world.

For more information about cybersecurity for remote workers, or to speak with one of our Nerds about our remote IT support services, contact NerdsToGo today!