Given the state-wide shelter in place, we are getting a lot of requests to support your employees’ efforts to work from home. We wanted to share some guidelines that we are recommending to all of our clients as they allow more and more employees to telecommute. These are not only to make sure your employees are able to work as productively as possible, but to also make sure your company is protected from the additional risks of telecommuting.
Virtual Private Network setup (VPN)– We are recommending a VPN to connect home computers to work systems. There are many solutions available, and you may already have one. We could help install a new VPN solution, provide a detailed How-To-Connect doc, and/or also discuss ways to scale your existing solutions to multiple employees.
Anti-Virus and Security– Our #1 focus is making sure your company is not further exposed to cybersecurity threats by allowing more employees to work from home. Here are some immediate recommendations:
- All home computers must have a reputable and paid anti-virus program installedprior to installing a VPN.
- All home computers should be scanned for any malware or viruses and have the latest updates appliedprior to installing a VPN.
- All corporate backups should be verified. We highly recommend our new Managed Cloud Backup Solution to help protect your company in the event of a disaster recovery scenario (e.g. ransomware that could originate from a home computer). This is a cost effective way to make sure your critical business data is being backed up and verified each month by us.
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- Corporate IT Security Audit – We have been performing in-depth IT security audits for our clients, helping identifying gaps in technology, data management, people and process. Please contact me if you would like more details.
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Employee Training– Telecommuting is new to many employees. Proper training will help increase productivity and minimize on-going support issues and the cost to your business.
- Set up employees with access to all necessary tools (email, virtual meetings, team collaboration tools, remote desktop, shared folders, etc.). Train them how to use them.
- Educate employees on best practices and how to minimize risk (e.g. disconnect from VPN when not using it).
Equipment and Software – Many employees are using their personal computers, existing home networks and possibly outdated software.
- Are employees’ home computers adequate? Do they need new computers?
- What versions of software are installed (e.g. Office)? Are they supported? Are they running Windows 10 Home vs. Windows 10 Pro?
- Is their home network fast and reliable enough and it is secured (e.g. Wi-Fi password)?
- Corporate IT Security Audit – We have been performing in-depth IT security audits for our clients, helping identifying gaps in technology, data management, people and process. Please contact me if you would like more details.
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I hope you find these high-level guidelines helpful. We support the efforts to enable more people to work from home, but I want to make sure you take the appropriate precautions to protect your business too.
Cheers,
Jim
CEO/Chief Nerd