Travel is picking up steam again lately, with more of us feeling confident that the pandemic is under control. Plus, with kids out of school and the weather feeling fantastic, more of us are ready to skip out the door on a summer vacation. If you’re planning to take work on the go, or your employees need to check in remotely, these eight tips can help you all to keep your work equipment, data, and networks secure.
Security starts with each device. Any device represents a potential entryway to your network, your cloud system, and any shared data. Make sure all devices that are used for work purposes have been secured with strong passwords, or a fingerprint or face scan.
Set devices to automatically lock. In the event that you become distracted while logged into a device, it could become lost or a thief could swipe it. Set all work devices to lock when idle for a few minutes.
Stick to what’s necessary on work devices. Apps can present security vulnerabilities sometimes, so don’t install unnecessary apps on work devices. Keep a separate personal device for the fun ones. And make sure to install security updates when prompted, for any apps that you do install.
Update your software. As developers recognize security vulnerabilities, so do hackers. Luckily the developers release patches as soon as they know about a problem. Just remember to install these patches as soon as they become available.
If you use iPhones, use the FindMyPhone feature. This feature only works if you turn it on before you ever need it, so do that now. And go ahead and familiarize yourself with the “remote wipe” feature, which will remotely wipe all data from the device in the event that you can’t recover it.
Disable Bluetooth when using public Wifi. This feature can serve as an open door when you’re logged into public Wifi hotspots, so just turn it off if you do need to use those networks.
… But don’t use public wifi. You’re better off not using public wifi networks at all, because they are notorious for hacking potential. Use secure networks or your mobile connection only.
Or, turn off wifi.
