Florida Department of Health
Tech Challenges for Remote Workers

Common Tech Infrastructure Weaknesses for Remote Workers

When shifting to a WFH approach, you may discover weaknesses in your tech network. Discover common pain points and how IT support can help you overcome them.  

Always on the lookout for ways to hone their craft, cyberattackers are using the coronavirus pandemic to find new ways to access consumers’ data. This was brought to the forefront recently when the Florida Department of Health in Highlands County discovered it was being spoofed. Suspicious characters placed calls to area residents asking for their personal information, falsely using the health department’s number. With increasing numbers of people working remotely due to the coronavirus, businesses can expect an uptick in incidents like this, especially as hackers target home-based employees. Upgrading your network security can go a long way toward making it virtually impervious to spoofers and other cybercriminals. Here are some strategies for small businesses to ensure data security when working remotely.

Upgrade Your Cybersecurity

Just 14% of small businesses rate their efforts to minimize cyber-related threats as highly-effective. To improve these ratings, companies should have a comprehensive security plan. This includes:

• Using strong firewalls
• Installing the latest anti-virus software and updating it regularly
• Monitoring their networks for unfamiliar log-in patterns, changes to programs, and other suspicious activity
• Requiring their employees to use more than a password to log into the company network (multi-factor authentication), especially when they’re using personal devices in unfamiliar locations

Improve Network Access for Employees

It may be logistically impossible for your distributed workforce to connect to your VPN remotely. Instead, you can provide software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools so your team can access important applications from any device, as long as they have a reliable Internet connection. This cloud-based solution enables workers to use applications such as Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, and Slack without a private VPN connection.

Enable Remote Calling

If your company uses a Voice Over IP (VoIP) system, it may not be able to handle the call volumes that are likely when your entire staff is working remotely. You will also need to set up a call-forwarding system so calls to an on-site work number can be directed to employees’ remote devices, whether company-issued or personal. Fortunately, you can enable high-quality remote calling (and call-forwarding) by either using a work-issued IP or adapting a smartphone (via an app) to serve this purpose.

Educate Your Employees

What many employers don’t realize is that 75% of data breaches happen internally, although they’re usually not intentional. To ensure that they know how to recognize and respond appropriately to potential threats, it’s important to educate your staff about digital red flags to be on the lookout for. Additionally, make sure your team knows how to respond when they see a potential threat.

Take Common-Sense Precautions

Besides upgrading your infrastructure and training your staff, taking a few simple precautions can help you avoid spoofing incidents and other attacks on your network. Remind employees to:

• Change passwords often
• Don’t open attachments you’re not expecting
• Hover over links to identify the URL before clicking, in case they’re coming from suspicious-looking sites

Provide On-Demand Tech Support

Remote workers may run into some roadblocks when attempting to access your network or manage data. Providing your employees with around-the-clock tech support can help them navigate technical difficulties without losing data or compromising its integrity.

A Reputable IT Company Can Help You Minimize Security Risks When Working From Home

To help remote workers perform their jobs optimally, companies should test and monitor various aspects of their infrastructure to look for pain points. Of course, you may not have the time or resources to do this on your own. That’s where an IT partner comes in. Partnering with technology experts allows you to safeguard your entire network better.

With high-quality tech support services, you can also onboard the most up-to-date tools to accommodate your entire remote workforce. IT services provide email security, cloud services, data management services, round-the-clock tech support, and consulting to help you incorporate practical solutions that best align with your vision and goals, now and in the future.