PROTECT YOUR DATA WHILE BROWSING REMOTELY

If you are a working professional then there is a great likelihood that you have had the opportunity to work away from your office. This is generally a convenient thing, and it gets you away from the office regardless of whether you are enjoying the comforts of your own home or you get to spend some time in another city. In fact, with the advent of information technology, working from home has become more popular than ever, and people should be aware that their job might have some telecommuting aspects to it in the future.

However, it should be noted that while using the internet is essential for working remotely, it is equally risky for those who are not prepared. The last thing that you would want to happen is for there to be a data breach that could possibly cost you your job. Your office network is probably relatively secure (or at least equal to your home network) compared to other places, and so you don’t have to care as much there. In the greater world, there are more hackers walking the streets and malware can likely get into your computer or another device much easier.

To prevent that from happening, try to consider the following tips and pieces of advice:

Only Have What Files You Need

If you were bringing physical files with you when you were telecommuting, you wouldn’t wind up taking a whole filing cabinet with you, right? Then why should you act any different when you take files away from the home or office to work outside? If you know exactly what you are going to be working on that day, only download or brings those files and leave the rest safely elsewhere so that no one could can get at them even if they wanted to.

This same type of reasoning can be applied to who you share your cloud services with. Ask yourself if the people who have access to a folder really need access. If not, remove their ability to see it and you will get rid of a potential source of a data leak (whether it would be intentional or unintentional).

Use a VPN

If you are going to be using a public network at all for your work, then you absolutely need to use a Virtual Private Network. It is quite possible you are already using one as they were originally designed with telecommuting in mind, but otherwise it is paramount to your security.

The reason for this is that on insecure public networks anyone with a very simplistic set of equipment will be able to see any data that you are sending and receiving over that network. This can include a lot of data and passwords neither you nor your place of employment wants out in the world. A VPN will create a secure connection with a secure offsite server so that there isn’t any breach of privacy. If you need help finding a VPN, take a look at this list of reviews.

Have Strong Security Programs and Settings

If you are going to be using a public network or use an otherwise unknown network, you should at the very least start out as cautiously as you can until you can get more information about it. You should change any settings in your browser and operating system to reflect what you want out of your connection, and in addition to this you should make sure to not automatically connect to any networks except for your home and your office.

In addition, you should adjust any relevant settings or protocols on your security suite program (which you absolutely must have, without any exceptions) in order for your computer to protect itself as best as it can. It may seem inconvenient at first and at other times, but it is the best and in some cases the only way for you to be more sure important work documents are being stolen.

Always Have Your Devices on You

While data theft is mostly done remotely, there are other situations where people will actually try to steal your devices from you physically when you leave them unattended. This is profitable for the thieves because they can often find and sell any important data and then sell the device itself for a decent amount of money.

It is for this reason that any electronic devices should devices should be either locked up or kept on your person at all times. While most strangers can probably be trusted, there is no way of knowing who won’t take advantage of your trust.

If you are in a country known for pickpocketing phones you may want to get an armband or some other strap which will secure your device. Make sure to have a hand on any and all laptop cases at all times if possible. While you will be safe most of the time, any deterrent you can use is to your benefit.

Thank you all for reading, and may you be able to enjoy your work wherever you may be and not worry about who might be lurking on the network.

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