4 Key Ways to Keep Files Secure When Working Remotely

Remote working is no longer a niche practice in the business world, but rather something which is happening on a huge scale that is only gaining momentum as time passes.

One of the biggest issues with this is that by taking employees out of the office context, the cyber threats involved in sharing data are amplified. With that in mind, here are a few strategies that can improve security, keep files secure, and make remote work an even more attractive prospect for employees and employers alike.

Using a secure remote server

If you want to give workers unfettered access to the files that are crucial for their day to day duties, regardless of where they are working from, then setting up a secure remote file server via a service like Triofox could be sensible.

Whether you choose to host this type of storage solution entirely remotely, or you adapt your on-premises setup so that it can be leveraged completely securely from outside of the premises itself, this is arguably the most impactful step to take as you adapt to the brave new world of remote working being the norm.

Dealing with bad habits

It is not enough to provide your employees with the tools they need to access files securely when they are operating off-site; you must also encourage them to use the services and also weed out any unsecure habits that they have developed.

For example, dissuade team members from emailing one another mission-critical files, not only because this will likely be less secure than relying on other methods, but also because it is much harder to keep track of the data itself, and collaboration could be hampered as a result.

Whatever policies you put in place and services you adopt, providing adequate training to the employees that will be using them is also your responsibility, so do not overlook this obligation.

Considering connectivity

Another piece of the remote working security puzzle is connectivity, and there are a lot of factors at play in this respect.

If an employee is working from home using their own domestic broadband connection and Wi-Fi network, this should be adequately secure for most purposes, but you should check to see whether others will be sharing the network at the same time and establish if it is password protected.

If an employee is intending to work from another location, perhaps via a publically accessible Wi-Fi hotspot, then this should either be discouraged because of the risks it carries, or mitigated through the use of a VPN to better protect the network traffic they generate from prying third parties.

Encouraging threat awareness

Last of all, remember that employees should be kept informed about the variety of threats they will face when working remotely, so that they are better prepared to detect and avoid them when the time comes.

This includes being in the loop about the latest phishing scams, whether delivered via email, text message or even social engineering-oriented phone call.

In short, a combination of security tools and employee awareness should ensure files can be shared securely with remote workers.