Business Tech Check – Cyber Safer

(Incidentally, companies that offer a remote work option also benefit in the form of 25 percent lower turnover than companies that were in-person only).

With this trend, companies have had to think differently on a whole host of issues in order to make the remote model work, no matter how often an employee is physically present in the office. At or near the top of that list is security.

“One of the problems from a security standpoint with a remote or hybrid work model, of course, is securing people and assets outside of the physical protection of the office environment,” reports an article in SECURITY magazine.

“Users have potentially expanded access to data, while at the same time the organization has limited insight into how it’s being used, where it’s being used and what security configurations remain,” says Jason Myers, Principal/Director, Strategic Innovation Group, Booz Allen in the article.

As a result, big tech platforms are pushing cyber security teams with a new, ominous-sounding concept, Zero Trust which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: Corporate internet security treating everyone and everything as a threat until proven otherwise. The strategy also ups the game on end users to take the steps necessary to remain secure even (and especially) when working on personal equipment and devices remotely.

Among the many shifting aspects of cybersecurity, several elements remain foundational to a basic level of protection. Better passwords, adoption of multifactor authentication and using the security tools that already exist on equipment and apps lead this list, especially as companies continue the race to catch up with security upgrades to their networks.

Here are three simple things you can do today to shore up the security of your device.

Sharpen that password. Stop using your wedding anniversary or your dog’s name to log on – complex passwords are a pain to memorize, but the overly simple ones just invite intruders.

Multi-factor it. Implementing a multi-factor log-in – the kind that sends a code to your phone or offers some other secondary requirement behind your password – are universally recognized as superior to passwords alone.

Check your settings. The most complicated solutions aren’t always the best – simply taking the time to change the privacy setting and permissions on your computer and smartphone is an easy way to leverage the onboard tools you already have.

You don’t have to do it alone. If the hybrid world of remote work has you concerned about the security of your company’s business information, Kinetic Business has a variety of solutions to ensure you and your customers are protected from cyber threats. We partner with businesses from solo entrepreneurs to enterprise size businesses.