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How to Keep Your Organization Safe While Working Remotely

User working on a laptop

Taking appropriate steps to secure your workforce should be your top priority and it’s easy to do so using Quest’s services

In our industry, a key focus is helping people stay safe. Often, that means developing secure practices for remote work. Over the past few months, as so many organizations have been compelled to begin working remotely, we’ve had the opportunity to help countless make the transition with minimum disruption or risk.

For example, a large healthcare organization, like so many others, got caught by surprise with an immediate need for remote work solutions for thousands of their employees. We were able to install software on everyone’s computers and devices and quickly connect them to what I call “the mothership”—our servers in the cloud. That also meant launching help desk services so everyone working at home could continue to be productive.

None of this was much different from what we’ve been doing for years since remote work has been with us for a long time, but not anywhere near this scale. Last month, Twitter told its employees that they can choose to work from home “forever.” That’s been the case at Automatic, the company behind Tumblr and WordPress, since it was founded.

Unfortunately, as the number of remote workers rises, the bad actors recognize an opportunity to exploit the situation. That means that all of the personal equipment we use for work is suddenly more vulnerable to attack.

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When people are isolated, they’re a little more likely to be tricked into opening a bogus email—that’s just human nature. Unless their personal workstation is secure, the malware winds up getting into the corporate environment, and as a result of this significant upswing in working from home, we are seeing ransomware skyrocket.

But if organizations take appropriate steps to secure their workforce, the remote-work scenario may actually be a blessing. Besides enabling staff to work wherever they need to, the ability to securely distribute your workforce has other benefits. For example, it vastly expands your talent pool. For instance, just because we are headquartered in Roseville doesn’t mean we are limited to employing people within driving distance of our office. Now you can get accounting help in Dallas, and technical help in Des Moines, or Toronto. That’s been the case for five to 10 years, of course, but it’s likely that this present crisis will accelerate its acceptance.

Additionally, advanced video conferencing capabilities have also made it easier than ever to work remotely. The ability to host meetings and stay connected virtually allows businesses to continue with normal day to day activities and run efficiently. There are many video conferencing applications to choose from, but be sure you select an option that has security built-in and a user-friendly interface. These functions will keep your data safe and your employees happy.

In short, consider your remote workforce options now, be prepared to assess and remediate, and above all, keep your environment secure and your people safe.

Thank you for trusting us to help with your IT needs.

Contact us anytime, we’re always happy to help.

Tim

 

Meet the Author
Tim Burke is the President and CEO of Quest. He has been at the helm for over 30 years.
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