One of the many changes imposed by COVID-19 this year has been the transition to remote work for many office employees. For many of us, our “commute” now entails a short walk down the hallway. According to a report in Facility Executive, 88% of companies have now required their employees to work from home, and most experts agree that this may become a new normal post COVID.
I Got This
By now, you may be an old hand at working from home. You’ve taken over a closet, spare bedroom, or kitchen and made it your “office” away from the office. You’ve figured out where and when to work and set up boundaries between work and personal life.
You may have also discovered that working from home can complicate security best practices, make it harder to share tips with colleagues, and more difficult to recognize and report potential incidents.
Even though by now you’re an experienced “work-from-homer,” here are a few things you still need to keep in mind:
- Continue Cybersafe Best Practices
The rules and policies you followed at work still apply when you’re working at home. Keeping your work area tidy, following password best practices, handling personal data safely, watching out for social engineering scams like phishing, vishing, and smishing – they all still matter.
- Don’t Hesitate to Ask If You Have A Question or Need Something
If you’re worried about software updates or have questions about the security of your home network, make sure you reach out to your manager, or your company’s IT or internal support department. They can’t help if you don’t ask.
- Report Any Potential Incidents Immediately
Security or privacy incidents can happen anywhere, even at home. If you think an incident has happened, no matter how uncomfortable you may feel, make sure you report immediately.
- Overcommunicate
Make sure you continue to reach out to your coworkers and colleagues. You can help make up for what you’re missing by not interacting with people in person by overcommunicating. It’s a good thing.
- Take Advantage of The Time You Aren’t Commuting
The time you don’t spend commuting can be a gift…if you take advantage of it to invest extra time in ensuring you are following cybersecurity best practices with work and personal devices and online activities.