Actionable Measures To Ensure Corporate Data Protection In The New Normal

As the world settles into the new normal, it is clear that the pandemic is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. Businesses that made a sudden switch to the remote model initially are now embracing it as a long-term arrangement. But the challenges related to this model remain the same, with data security being the biggest among them all. After all, no organization would want to compromise its confidential data.

Unfortunately, it continues to be at risk as employees access it from their homes and expose it to hackers and attackers. As big as the stress may be, it can be resolved with the right data protection measures. Let us list the ones you can put in place to ensure that your company’s confidential information remains safe, even in the new normal.

Have a simple, yet stringent remote working policy

A significant part of your workforce is likely to operate from home for an extended period. So it becomes vital to reassess and realign your remote working policy, considering the unique situation, needs, and challenges of your company. Essentially, it should list facts such as what the employees can and cannot do from WFH settings, including the software they can use on their business devices.

Further, it should list the steps they need to keep the confidential corporate information secure, reporting procedure for the lost or stolen devices, and the norms to follow when employees leave the company. The policy should also cover the level of visibility and control the employer may have over remote devices. Apart from having a clear policy, it is also important to communicate it to the employees and enforce it stringently.

Prioritize security

Every business needs to prioritize security when it comes to corporate data, whether your team works from the office or remotely. The need only gets bigger as employees work from home because it multiplies the number of user interfaces, networks, and applications through which your confidential data is accessed. The vulnerabilities increase across these points, so you need to be extra vigilant about the security risks.

Thankfully, your IT team can cover the business with the implementation of a mobile device management solution. Here is a useful mobile device management guide that you can follow to take the initiative in the right direction. MDM empowers the organization to remotely manage and monitor the corporate and personal devices accessing the company’s IT ecosystem. It even lets you implement location tracking and remote wiping for tight control over devices.

Pay attention to remote devices

As employees work from home, businesses may provide them corporate devices or let them use personal devices for work. The risk gets a tad higher if you allow them to use their own laptops and mobile phones because they will use them for social purposes in addition to work. As they access sites and upload or download content, users could end up infecting their devices with viruses or malware unintentionally.

It elevates the risk of these malicious programs making a backdoor entry into the company’s systems. You can cut down the risk by providing business devices to the users for remote work. But this may not be feasible for all, particularly if you run a small business that has limited hardware resources. In that case, you can rely on sandboxing to create a separate and secure section on the devices for exclusive usage for company matters.

Invest in continuous employee training

With an extended WFH arrangement, it becomes all the more important for businesses to invest in continuous training for the employees. People will be on their own as they operate from home, so they need to be aware of the threats and risks and also trained to handle them effectively. A holistic training program does not remain a choice for your company, and it should include a complete chapter on data security.

Ensure that employee education includes every aspect, from the use of secure Wi-Fi networks to precautions for steering clear of malware infections, norms to be followed while downloading data and accessing company applications, and more. Training shouldn’t be a one-time effort, but you should hold regular sessions at the workplace to keep the team connected and committed to security even as they work from home.

Working on your culture for the new normal is equally important because things are no longer the same. A work culture that prioritizes data security, whether working from the office or home, will encourage your team to go the extra mile.