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Working from home has undoubtedly been challenging for many businesses and individuals. Finding the right setup at home, whilst trying to avoid possible distractions, is no easy task! That, combined with the cost of getting everyone the right equipment has certainly been a drain for many businesses. However, one thing that many have not considered is the increased risk of cyber-attacks when working remotely.
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Managing these obstacles, whilst trying to maintain healthy growth for your business is particularly challenging and is the reason why we have put together this advice – so you can eliminate this risk of a cyber-attack on your business!
Cyber-attacks can be devastating for businesses of any size and a recent report from the government suggests that two in five businesses (and one-quarter of charities) have experienced a cyber-attack during the COVID pandemic. Furthermore, the report shows that a decrease in cyber-security practices means that many businesses are completely unaware that they have been the target of attacks!
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So, what are the reasons behind this increase in cyber-attacks?
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Unfortunately, WFH is a large driving force behind this increase. Whilst at home, employees are far more likely to use personal devices for work. This can be particularly challenging as your security is then reliant on those devices – devices of which you have no control – being secure. Furthermore, the lockdowns have increased people’s desire to get out of the house despite WFH. This has turned many people to public Wi-Fi hotspots such as coffee shops – this may seem inconspicuous but there is a very real risk of malware being installed on your machines (companied owned or personal!)
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How can you best protect your business from cyber-attacks when your employees are WFH?
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- The most reasonable solution is to contact IT solution providers, like us at ADT Systems. Your employees should not work from their own devices such as laptops or phones. Our experienced IT team will help you choose the most effective devices, install up-to-date anti-virus programs as well as monitor any suspicious activity on these devices. We can promptly support and work with your in-house IT manager, to recognise and block untrusted sources.
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- Never should anyone share virtual meeting URLs on social media platforms or any other public channels. This could cause result in unauthorized 3rd parties’ accessing private meetings and/or recording confidential information.
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- Each employee should be aware of digital security and undertake online training against phishing attacks.
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- Work and leisure activities on your device should not be mixed.
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- Staying aware of the latest phishing email scams – such as fake emails offering COVID vaccines (shocking we know, but unfortunately people out there are willing to try anything).
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- Alerting your employees that they need to connect to the internet via secure networks (password protected, avoiding open/free networks.)
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- Always ensure that any sensitive corporate information is not shared via an insecure connection, for example, personal email addresses or desktop apps such as WhatsApp.
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- Setting up an intranet network to share working files. This is a great and secure way to avoid sharing sensitive information across home devices.
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- Local drives with data at rest, should be encrypted – which will protect against loss and theft of the device.
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- Each device must have the latest antivirus/antimalware programs installed by a trusted member of staff or a team of IT experts.
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With an increased number of emails, messaging and virtual meeting apps being used since March 2020, the opportunity for hackers has rapidly increased, exposing many easy targets. The pandemic has changed businesses’ outlook on how they can prosper. Employee’s health and safety unquestionably come first, yet companies must also ensure that cyber-security is in place. To protect employees from being attacked by hacking activities, you must decrease the opportunities for cyber thieves and protect your business from financial loss.
So, if you are a small-to-medium-size enterprise, and you are still not sure how to best protect your employees from cyber-attacks or you are simply looking for effective and affordable IT equipment, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Our mission is to ensure that you can focus on your business whilst we support and protect your IT infrastructure. Please feel free to share this blog, especially if you wish to educate your colleagues and friends.
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ADT has been providing expertise and great customer service since 1993, we have plenty of great advice that we can share with you!
Call us on 0330 333 7439 or simply drop us an email at sales@adtsystems.co.uk
We have many interesting News posts that are worth reading, so, please take a look!
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ADT Systems Team
