The Remote Work Security Checklist for IT Managers

If you read our blog about the increased risks of cyberattacks for remote workers, you’d probably know why we are making this one. The cyber risks for remote workers are increasing like never seen before and every enterprise should listen. IT managers need to protect their employees and be aware of how to manage the risk of cyber threats in their enterprise. Managers need to remind employees to treat their home office like their old office in regard to security standards. This is not always easy, and this is why we came up with a list for all the IT managers out there. Here is the Lifesaving Remote Work Security Checklist that will save and protect your employees from cyber threats. Always remember that prevention is key.

What’s On The Checklist?

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Require employees to have strongand unique passwords

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Having a strong password may seem obvious, but it’s not. National Cyber Security Centre says that (NCSC), some of the 10 most common passwords are “123456,” “qwerty,” “111111,” and — perhaps most embarrassingly — “password”? Having at least 8 characters, some and lower case letters, with a range of odd special characters is the best. Managers should try and lower the re-use of passwords because it is a risk to the enterprise.  Make sure employees are aware that they should never protect their sensitive data with something that can be guessed. This is like their first name, local soccer team or favourite band. This is the first step in the security checklist!

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Further Perspective

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Ian Levy, NCSC Technical Director states, “Using hard-to-guess passwords is a strong first step, and we recommend combining three random but memorable words.” Let me put it into further perspective for you which can also help your employees; you should not be able to pronounce a password nor should it make sense. Let your employees get creative with their passwords. Having weak passwords is a security risk for your organization and keep reading to find out more security points beyond passwords.

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Provide Your Employees With the Right Resources and Technology

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When more than half of your employees convert to remote workers, there are many policies that need to be established. The most obvious one is something like a work-from-home policy, but that’s not only it. Managers need to provide their employees with the relevant and secure resources to work effectively and safely.

VPN

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A VPN password manager or antivirus system are pieces of software that IT managers should provide to all of their employees. Your employees can work harder and provide more quality work because they are not stressing about compliance. Which manager wouldn’t want this? If you’re not sure of where to even start with these resources, just keep reading. At Assurance IT, we got you covered.

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Train Your Employees and Provide Them Robust IT Aid

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No job is easy without training and neither is recovering from a cyberattack. Employees deserve to have proper training on cybersecurity and how it can affect them and the business they work for. Secure and concrete remote work security measures begin with the popper training. Our partners TerraNova provide exceptional security training for employees which can help you as a manager, handle your security measures. Moreover, cybersecurity awareness training and ensuring that your IT team is there to help you with guiding your remote workers with any security-related concerns. Book a call with us, and we can arrange the best training for you for free. So, robust training creates the most robust employees!

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Why The Checklist Is Lifesaving

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By following this checklist or applying it in your enterprise, you will see that it helps with many things. This not only creates robust employees, but also educated and highly alert employees. Because of the cybersecurity awareness training, it will be easier to communicate, work and the flow of operation will increase majorly. There are also fewer attempts of cyber threats with educated employees. Our recent blog explains all about cyber criminal's techniques for attacking remote workers. Indeed, this checklist builds a safer and more trusted work environment. In all, build this security checklist into your business continuity strategy today.

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Need Extra Help?

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So, if you are unsure where to start and like more personal advice, we are here to listen. Book a free consultation with us, and we can figure everything out with you. Learn more about our services and see how they can build stronger security for your business. Besides, at Assurance IT, we are always helping other Canadian enterprises and building constant awareness of cyber risks.

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