Secure your remote workforce: 5 essential steps for SMBs

In every workplace today, there will be numerous devices in use – work laptops, company-issued mobiles and tablets for some employees. That is not even including personal devices that employees may bring in, and which some may even use to do work remotely. Ensuring the security of these devices is critical, as if any of these are compromised, they can form a gateway for cyber threats to breach the company network.

Start with installing firewalls on all remote devices to create a secure perimeter around your network. Firewalls monitor and control traffic going in and out of your network and act as a barrier between your business and threats from the wider internet.  At the same time, automatic updates are vital to keep the software running on these devices up to date with the latest cyber security features. Outdated software is a common entry point for cybercriminals and regularly updating operating systems and software patches helps fix vulnerabilities that could be exploited.

Strong encryption adds an extra layer of defence. Encrypting sensitive data on devices makes it challenging for unauthorised users to access and misuse information. If your employees are using a variety of apps and platforms for communication, ensure that they use only those with encryption enabled. Business Protect Basic, is a solution offered by Singtel that help you achieve complete end-to-end protection and safeguard devices from malware and other cyber threats effectively. 

When you adopt hybrid or remote work arrangements, you will still need to ensure that your employees can collaborate and share data seamlessly. But this ease of collaboration should not come at the cost of security and it is vital to establish clear guidelines so that sensitive information remains protected.

One common practice adopted by businesses is the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). These help establish a secure and encrypted connection for remote workers accessing company resources, which prevents malicious actors from eavesdropping or stealing sensitive information shared between employees. ExpressVPN and NordVPN are two of the most common VPN solutions that SMBs can explore.

When adopting cloud storage solutions for remote collaboration, ensuring the security of the stored data is crucial.For this, look into encrypted cloud storage solutions that allow you to store and share documents securely. Think carefully about protocols for classifying data based on sensitivity levels, determining storage locations, and managing access permissions. Singtel provides SMBs with Cloud Backup, an automatic backup and data protection solution for cloud applications and endpoints. It is also protected by encryption, ensuring that your data is secure from cyber threats in-flight and at rest.  

You can also go one step beyond and think about controlling access to your sensitive business data. Not all data that is stored and used in your business network may be equally sensitive. Public facing data such as marketing materials, case studies and product brochures may be freely accessible, but confidential information such as customer data, financial data, revenue projections and any intellectual property should be restricted to only authorised users.

Clearly define and enforce access management rules to control who can access such data within the organisation. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security for accessing critical systems and information. These access roles can also be regularly reviewed and updated based on employee roles and responsibilities.

When your employees work remotely, it is all the more important that you secure communication between them. To help with this, promote the use of platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, which offer encryption of messages, audio calls, and video conferences. Some businesses may also prefer WhatsApp or Telegram, both of which also offer end-to-end encryption. 

In general, employees should be provided with essential cyber security training. It also helps to provide remote workers some specific practices and guidelines they should follow. In addition to the usage of VPNs and MFA, you can also include physical security best practices for remote working. Remind them to keep their work devices secure by locking when not in use and avoid leaving them unattended, especially when working in public spaces. They should also be encouraged to enable automatic updates on their devices and to regularly check for and apply any available security patches.