3 Security Areas to Focus on Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic
Six months after the start of the 2020 pandemic millions of people in the USA still work from home.
As South Carolinians are getting ready to send their kids back to school, many parents are opting to keep them home. If you are homeschooling one or more children in Fall 2020, this might be of interest to you.
Homeschooling in a smarthome is just plan smart!
Commercial Security System Updates For the Pandemic!
With COVID-19 forcing many employees to work from home, business executives are having to rethink their online and offline security needs.
Security procedures that were in place before the pandemic might no longer be valid as employees work from home, and new strategies are having to be implemented.
This article looks at three vulnerable areas of security as a starting point for those who manage companies in the time of this coronavirus pandemic.
1. Remote Security Monitoring Capabilities
While stores might or might not be open, offices are shut or only open for limited hours and with limited employees, for those in charge of employee safety, inventory and customer satisfaction it is imperative to be able to monitor on-going activities on location, from home.
Does you current commercial security system have these capabilities? Can you monitor your cameras from your phone? Can you watch your employees, keep an eye on your customers or your backroom inventory? Are you monitoring the commercial alarm system from any device?
You should be able to do this at anytime, but with so many people working from home, this has become an essential piece of data and communication between employers and employees .
If you are not currently monitoring cameras and activity in real-time, it’s time for an upgrade.
2. Renewed and Updated Cybersecurity Protocol
With millions of employees quickly transitioning to working from home, it’s easy for businesses to have forgotten to update their cybersecurity protocol.
If that was you, now is the time to get it done!
“Working from home brings security concerns that are unique to those seen in a traditional office setting. While working from home, employees may be accessing or transmitting trade secrets, personal information of individuals, and other confidential information. Exposure of trade secrets or confidential business information can cause expensive damages or loss to a company” Source CPO Magazine.
Things to be aware of and fix ASAP:
- Coronavirus scams
- Not-secure Wifi connections
Things to implement include:
- Cybersecurity software
- Secure access to company server
- Off-network communications
- Ensure Secure passwords are in place, including two-factor verification for Google accounts and social media channels.
- Shutdown of all devices when not in use.
Check out our Best Work From Home Cybersecurity Tips
3. Employee Information and Privacy Protection
While your employees are at home, often using work computers to get work done, it’s important to update your employee information, to protect their privacy as well as yours!
This includes things like choosing the right video platforms .
While Zoom has had security issues, Webex is secure enough for the large TV networks and financial institutions to use.
Sharing sensitive information through online portals also requires special software – just make sure sure that you, the employer are aware of and are in charge of the tools used by everyone who works for you from home!
By updating your online and offline security strategies you are providing a safe and secure working environment for everyone; those who will continue to work form home into 2021 and those who might want to migrate back into the office.
The Best Work From Home Cybersecurity Tips
Working From Home Unexpectedly?
Have you been asked (or told) to work from home due to the coronavirus pandemic? How is that going for you? It’s been a few weeks and we sure hope that you have been able to hold on to your job; we do understand that many people have been furloughed, or let go due to loss of business.
- If you are lucky enough to work for a company that has retained you and asked you to work from home, this is for you.
- If you are spending time at home looking for a job, or if your kids are at home working on school assignments, this is for you.
- If you have elderly parents who due to being quarantined are spending more time online, this is for you as well
Remote Working Is The New Normal During This Pandemic
While remote work has been the status quo for only 7% of the US workforce prior to the COVID-19, it has become the ‘new normal’ during this pandemic.
Whole office buildings are empty, and millions of people have scrapped their community to start working from home. Of the 80+ million American school children, 97% are home home, engaged in distance learning through the internet.
These remote workers and students now work at kitchen tables, in bedrooms, basements, or living rooms instead of cubicles and fancy offices and in schools.
Some have families or pets at home who might or might not distract them.
Remote Work Tips From Those Who Have Experience
While many people are experiencing working from home for the first time, navigating and learning what works and what doesn’t, as they go, looking to those who already worked from home for tips is a smart idea.
Who has prior experience, you ask?
Freelancers, creatives like graphic designers and web designers, authors, customer service, sales etc.; whole industries are build on remote workers.
Here is an article filled with 30+ tips from those who have experience as remote workers! These kids can be applied to employees as well as students!
How To Stay Sane, Married and Employed While Working Remote
Now, we all know that due to social distancing and mandatory quarantines, we are spending way more time online than usual. Facebook is reporting that their usage is up by over 50%!
In times of stress and worry, humor is a great way to get relief.
Check out this funny video with excellent tips on how to stay married, employed and sane while working remote.
Cybersecurity Tips For Students and Remote Workers!
Whether you are working from home yourself, or your children are on the internet all day long for distance learning, here are the best tips to keep you and your loved ones safe!
🔥Be aware of phishing scams! Do not click on emails or messages asking you to check or renew passwords and login credentials, even if they seem to come from a trusted source.
🔥Recheck your Wi-Fi connection; update your password. While most Wi-Fi is correctly secured, some older installations might not be, which means people in the near vicinity can snoop your traffic or hack into your system – call us at Strand Security if you aren’t sure!
🔥Reset passwords frequently and if sharing accounts with coworkers, always use a password manager to share passwords, never in an email.
🔥Install anti-virus software and keep it updated.
🔥Use your home security system to keep an eye on your home and your family, but make sure the system itself is secure against hacking!
🔥Back up all important files – we recommend backing up files on both a hard drive as well as in the cloud.
🔥Get into the habit of locking your computer and phone screens. While you are in quarantine with family members, this might not be of huge concern, but if you do have sensitive data on your devices, it’s always a good idea to keep your devices locked.
🔥Stick to HTTPS websites! Do not enter your credit card information unless you know and trust the site.
Don’t forget to share these tips with your elderly parents active online as well!
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