As of September 2020, workers in some sectors are beginning to return to company offices throughout the UK. For many businesses, this reopening of office spaces won’t occur overnight. Instead, most will see a large mix of remote and office work, also known as a blended workforce, for a long time to come.
This practice may raise some doubts and fears about business security. But as with the rather Limited Risks of Remote Working, a blended workforce doesn’t have to pose a threat to any company’s cyber security.
How to Maintain your Cyber Security
These are perhaps the most important cyber security measures you can implement when moving to a blended workforce:
Protect Portable Devices
If your staff are working from home some days and commuting to the office on others, then they are likely to be transporting devices containing private company information fairly frequently. Thus, to ensure that you’re protected in case a company phone or laptop is lost or stolen on a commute, it is vital that all data on portable devices is encrypted. This, alongside device passwords and or biometric identification protocols, will mean company information is secure wherever it may be. Moreover, data can then be backed up on the cloud to ensure that it’s not permanently lost if a portable company device goes missing.
It’s also worth noting that any device being used in both an office and home environment should be used for work purposes only. This reduces the risk of malware or ransomware infection, which could then compromise your whole company’s cyber security.
Maintain Existing Practices
Seeing your company transition from a largely remote to a blended workforce shouldn’t seem like a complete overhaul. That’s why it’s important that many of you pre-existing cyber security policies should simply be carried over. For instance, maintaining antivirus software, the use of password manager tools, and two-factor authentication practices are all still essential to a strong cyber security system.
Brief Staff as they Return
Lastly, if you’re still unsure about your company’s cyber security, you should remind your staff of what you expect from them whilst they’re working both at home and in the office. Brief your staff on the above security practices, as well as anything else you may have implemented, and encourage them to come forward if they are still unsure. Given most office workers have been working from home for several months, many are likely to have become more aware of the importance of cyber security. In turn, this should make the switch to a blended workforce relatively easy!
You can find all of our latest Cyber Security News Here. In addition, if you are considering moving to a blended workforce, you can check out our piece on Maintaining Office Security & Social Distancing Here.
