CoronaVirus pandemic has forced companies to adapt remote working practices. It is important to ensure that companies are aware of considerations for remote workers so that the risk of security issues with working remotely can be avoided. This article comprises five work from home cyber security tips so that both the employees as well as the company can be safeguarded and protected. IT services for remote workers are a great resource that will help employees and make working from home easier and at the same time, more efficient for them. Making use of the right softwares, ensuring access control for the company data and resources and practicing small things that ensure employees can be safeguarded are effective ways of ensuring that the company targets are being met, employees are working and everything is going on smoothly despite the global pandemic and the consequences it has brought about all over the world.

The CoronaVirus pandemic has taken the entire world by storm. There is nothing that could have prepared the world to be able to deal with this situation beforehand. As the situation got out of hand and the number of infected cases started to exponential growth, companies were forced to switch to remote working.

What could possibly go wrong when workers work from their homes? Is there a need to spread remote working security awareness? What are some of the security issues with working remotely? These are some questions that companies need to address given the current situation. This article will cover all the information about support and security considerations to safeguard remote workers in a comprehensive manner so you can ensure that your company has adopted the best technology for working remotely.

Role Of IT Support For Remote Workers

What Is IT Support?

IT Support is an umbrella term that encompases a diverse range of IT services. IT Support can be as simple as providing networking and internet facilities for your company to ensuring that the company data is protected and access control is deployed.

Speaking in terms of remote working practices, there are plenty of IT Services that companies can make use of. There are many softwares that make remote working easier and more efficient. There are some employee monitoring softwares through which employers can keep an eye on the contributions and work of their employees, time management softwares as well as security protocols that protect both the companies as well as the employees.

The virtual meeting rooms and collaboration platforms are also an example of IT Supports for remote workers. Through these tools, the company employees and employers can collaborate and stay in touch with one another even if they are not working and meeting in offices.

Need Of IT Support For Remote Workers:

Before we dive in and discuss tips for safe remote working, it is important to discuss why IT considerations for remote workers are important. When working in an office it is very easy for the employers and the employees to coordinate and communicate with another. However, this is not the case when workers are working on a remote basis.

Remote working does not eliminate the need for communication and collaboration. Therefore, it is important for companies to make use of IT services for remote workers that virtually bridge the gap between employees and employers and their colleagues.

Other than communication and collaboration platforms, another challenge that companies may face when switching to remote working practices is safeguarding information. Whether it is the personal information and data of the employees or the sensitive information and data of the company itself. Making sure that all the information remains safe and does not go in wrong hands is extremely important. IT supports for remote workers in this regard are therefore a necessity.

Benefits Of IT Support:

IT Support takes away a lot of load and pressure from the shoulders of the employees. In case of remote working, IT Support makes sure that the employees and employers remain connected. Whether it is holding virtual, online meetings or using platforms to work together, it can be rightfully stated that IT Support makes working on a remote basis a lot easier.

Other than offering support for employers and employees, work from home security solutions are also offered by IT consulting for remote workers. In a nutshell, IT support and services ensure that the company and employers can operate safely and without any hassle. The use of IT Support not only safeguards the company but also protects the employees.

Security Considerations To Safeguard Remote Workers:

In order to make sure that the company can operate properly and work effectively even when workers are working from home, there are some considerations for remote workers that the company owners and employers should be aware of.

If you as a company or employer want to make sure that the challenges associated with remote working platforms can be overcome, here are five key security considerations that will protect your employers and ensure that everything goes on smoothly.

1. Using Official IDs And Antivirus Tools:

As mentioned earlier, there is a diverse range and set of IT Support softwares that are especially developed for remote workers. Many of these tools are also used when working in physical offices.

But since now the situation is completely different and almost all companies have now switched to remote working, it is important to sign up for these IT Support softwares even if they were not being used before.

One of the things that should be the top priority of employers is to ensure that their employees' information remains safe. To be able to do so, strictly set a policy that the employees will only make use of their official email addresses to communicate with each other.

Other than this, remote workers' best practices demand that all employees remain responsible and make use of an antivirus tool. A lot of communication takes place through emails when workers are working from home. Emails may be a great source of communication but at the same time, they are the most common source of virus transmissions.

Therefore, the use of an antivirus tool is necessary so that not only the employees personal computer can remain safe but the entire office and the people he is connected with also remain safe.

2. Access To Company Resources:

Many times, companies provide laptops and other resources for their employees. When workers are working from offices, they don’t need to ask for access. But since now the workers have switched to remote working practices, therefore, the company will need to revise the company access policies.

Access control is very important, therefore, make sure that you invest in a reputable and trustworthy IT Service provider. Only the relevant people and employees should be able to access the company data. Logs should be maintained so records can be maintained about who accessed which data and what changes were made.

Another tip to ensure safety is to make sure that employees make use of their official ids when accessing company data. Multiple authentication techniques can also help make sure that only relevant personnel can access the company data.

Two factor authentication is a great authentication technique that is foolproof and secure. Plus it can be incorporated into the company portals and websites with ease. The workers will have access to all the company resources they need but at the same time, the access will be authenticated so unknown people cannot view or use the data.

3. Revising Firewall Policies:

Many companies make use of firewalls to make sure that the company resources, sensitive information and data remains in safe hands. The company laptops and computers are granted access to these resources without any issue.

But since most of the workers will now be using their personal computers and laptops, the company will need to revise their firewall policies. Ask the employees to make a list of their IP addresses so these addresses can be given a pass to move through the firewall.

You might also experience an increase in the traffic of your website as now the employees will be logging in to the official portals and visiting the company websites multiple times a day. Therefore, this might be the right time to increase the traffic bandwidth for the website so it does not fail to perform or bear the load.

4. Adopt Helpful Softwares:

There are many companies and employees who have never worked from home before. Therefore, they are unaware of softwares that can help them work in an efficient manner. As an employer, it is important for you to keep an eye on the performance of your employees to make sure that they are working properly and the company targets are being met.

Employee monitoring softwares is a great way to do so. These softwares allow employers to see how long the employees worked, assign tasks, provide feedback for the work and also record their screen activity and get a record of the websites they are accessing.

These softwares also motivate the employees to work as they allow proper time management and the employees are compelled to do their work properly since they know they are being monitored.

Using collaborative platforms like Google Drive and Google Docs and Sheets etc. is another great way of collaborating when all the workers are not meeting in a physical setting. Everyone can pool in and add their share of the work and the data can be accessed in real time.

Skype, Zoom and Hangout Meet are great virtual meeting rooms through which the employees and employers can meet when working from home. They offer features like screen sharing and recording of the meeting as well. Microsoft Teams is another great collaborative platform that can be used in a professional setting.

5. Educate And Support Your Employees:

As mentioned earlier, there is a mass majority of people who have never worked in a remote setting before. Having to switch from a physical office to moving towards remote work and that too given the current stressful and anxious COVID-19 situation.

This is a tough time for everyone. Therefore, employers and company owners should be empathetic towards their employees. Communicate with your employees and tell them that they have your support. Call them and check in on them to make sure they are doing well.

It is also an undeniable fact that not all employees are tech savvy and comfortable switching to remote working practices. Therefore, the company will have to offer training and teach the employees how to adapt to this change.

Conclusion:

The current situation may be tough, but as they say, the work must go on. Offices are not operating like they used to and almost all companies have now moved to remote working practices. It is the need of the hour to not only focus on getting work done but also ensure that the employees are protected and safeguarded. IT supports for remote workers is a great way of being certain that the employees are safe.

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