Working from anywhere has plenty of upsides, which is why remote working is now looking to be one of the staples that people look for when they're going for a new job. You can explore different places, meet new people, and you get to escape the monotony of sitting at a desk all the time. The problem is that most people don't realize that they need to take security considerations into account.
When you are branching out from the confines of your office or your home, you need to think about what you need to do to keep your information as protected as possible. Working in a coworking space is wonderful, but if working in that space is going to lead you to a breach in your security, that's a problem. You may not know how does a vpn work, but that doesn't mean that you can’t learn, right? Making sure that you are safe while you work outside of the home or office should be a priority for you if you want to continue working remotely. The last thing you want to do is to cause your boss any headaches with a cybersecurity breach, so the more you know, the better. Let's take a look at how you can have the freedom of working anywhere with the safety of working anywhere.
Check your Wi-Fi. If you want to make sure that you are safe whenever you are out, you need to be making sure that you are running a Wi-Fi hotspot from your phone. This will allow you to avoid sharing a public network with anybody and that is inherently safer compared to joining public Wi-Fi. Wherever you go, the problem is going to begin where you don't have the data plan or the signal strength needed. That is something you really should look into first. If you do need to use public Wi-Fi, then make sure that you choose a password and network. Make sure that if you're in a cafe, you're using their Wi-Fi and not the Wi-Fi of somebody else or from somebody else's hotspot.
Protect your data as much as possible. Your browser is going to tell you when a site is supporting HTTPS. Attaching yourself to a Wi-Fi network that other people can access is going to be far riskier than using your home or office Wi-Fi, because you don't know who set up the network or why. You also don't know who is connected to it, so try to avoid logging into anything important or sensitive such as your work information or your online banking.
Always assume that people are watching. When you're in public, you should always assume that your Internet is vulnerable purely because you may not know enough to tell how your Internet would be vulnerable. The one thing you don't want is to find yourself in a nice cozy spot working remotely, only to have somebody copying everything from your laptop without you knowing. You can never really tell who is innocent around you and who isn't, so always assume that somebody's looking over your shoulder or is peeping into your systems remotely. Somebody could also be watching you enter your password or a specific passcode to log into your work information, and then they can use that information against your workplace.
Make sure that you have two factor authentication. All of the usual security rules should absolutely still apply when you are working on your business information and not personal. This means having two factor authentication on all accounts where you can, as well as all devices. You should always be on the lookout for any specific suspicious activity on any accounts and make sure that you are using strong passwords.
It's great to be able to work remotely, but it's a privilege that most people are not Privy to. If you have an employer who is allowing you to work from wherever you want to work, then adhering to your IT rules of the business is really going to help you here. Speak to your IT coordinator and even to your boss to find out how you can be as safe as possible. There may be certain programs that your IT team wants you to download to be able to maintain your safety no matter where you are. Nobody wants to have their intellectual information stolen, let alone your boss. Paying attention to this could save you a lot of time, a lot of money, and save you from going back to the office.
