Don’t Let Your Organizational Security Take a Vacation This Summer

Summer is here, and with it comes the rest and relaxation that warm weather encourages. That said, summer is not a time to let up on your cybersecurity awareness. Today, we’ll share how you can both enjoy the summer season without putting your security at risk in the process.

Stay Secure No Matter Where You’re Working

Working from anywhere sounds great, but it’s only effective if it doesn’t put your business at risk in the process.

Depending on where you’re working, you might find yourself in a location with less-than-stellar cybersecurity protections in place. The office space might have its own wireless network that’s secure, but public places like hotels and cafes don’t necessarily have the same level of security you might expect from the office. To make up for this lack of security, we recommend a VPN, or virtual private network, which encrypts traffic to and from your device so any data transmitted is safe and secure.

With a VPN, you’ll be able to comfortably work from anywhere, knowing that your company’s data isn’t being put at risk.

Minimize Your Screen’s Visibility

Cyberattacks these days tend to utilize minimal technology to make them as easy to pull off for attackers as possible (hence the rise in phishing attacks).

In fact, sometimes it can be as simple as someone peeking over your shoulder while you type. When you get too comfortable, it’s easy to forget that cybersecurity is still important. Imagine walking away from your device for a moment while you’re at the beach or from your computer while you’re in the hotel lobby (without first locking it).

This is why you need to keep your screen as protected from others as possible, whether you’re in front of the device or not. Never leave it unattended, and consider investing in screen privacy protectors to ensure your screen can’t be read from certain angles. If you must leave your device unattended, be sure to lock it; this is a best practice you should be following anyway, even in secured locations.

Keep Your Business Data Accessible and Safe

Data is only useful for your business if you put it to use, which means that you’ll need to ensure it’s accessible to your team, even while out of the office.

Imagine having an important file or document on a device back in the office, inaccessible from the cloud. It’s frustrating and wasteful, especially if not having that file prevents others from doing their work. We recommend you store all of your data on a centralized server for the following reasons:

1. Keeping all data centrally helps ensure that it can be accessed as needed.
2. It also helps ensure that backup measures are fully protecting all data.
3. Audits and other data management tasks are much simpler to complete.

Furthermore, we recommend you have a data backup and disaster recovery solution in place to act as a sort of “insurance policy” for your data. You should practice the 3-2-1 rule, which includes having at least three copies of your data, stored in at least two different locations, one of which is the cloud.

You Won’t Need to Worry With Us on the Job

If you’re sick and tired of worrying about your IT, you should consider working with Preferred. Our trusted technicians will work to ensure you can go on vacation and keep your business functional at the same time. Call us today at 708-781-7110 to learn more.