7 Ways to Build a Security Policy for Remote Workers

In the last couple of years, more organizations than ever before implemented flexible work environment policies. In turn, the rise of remote work created a variety of security challenges that organizations must address as an aspect of their comprehensive security policy.

And the remote workforce is slowly growing.

“By 2025, an estimated 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely, which equates to about 22% of the workforce.”

With this in mind, whether you’re taking advantage of remote work environments already or not, it’s critical to be forward-thinking and consider how to effectively protect your business, your staff, and your clients both now and in the future.

Even companies that have returned to a fully in-person work environment might have an employee who wants to log into systems or check up on work emails while taking a sick day, or out on PTO. These same policies can enable this accessibility while maintaining strict network security.

The seven remote work security best practices covered in this blog include:

1. Defining Security Guidelines
2. Creating a Device Inventory
3. Using VPNs
4. Creating a Password Policy
5. Next-Gen Antivirus
6. Employee Education
7. Remote Monitoring

You may be thinking that your network security is already in great shape, but does it live up to industry standards? Find out how your cybersecurity measures up with DOT Security’s Cybersecurity Checklist: How Covered is Your Business?

1. Define Your Company's Security Guidelines

If your company is going to establish a remote work program, defining the rules and the etiquette employees should follow is essential. Training employees on security and teaching them the why behind certain protocols will help them get on board and adhere to the policies you put in place.

If your staff doesn’t understand the why behind certain security measures you’re asking them to follow, they might be tempted to come up with workarounds. As such, employees should understand some fundamentals about your security:

• Which programs and processes are set up to protect company and customer data
• What industry requirements dictate
• Sanctions and fines that can occur if found non-compliant
• The comprehensive cost of a data breach or compliance lawsuit

The security guidelines should also include codified onboarding and off-boarding protocols that standardize the process and enhance identity and access management controls.

"Of the [1,121] respondents, 83% said that they still had access to the digital assets of their previous employer."

Formalized onboarding and off-boarding processes ensure that new employees have access to all the necessary systems and data they need to complete their tasks while ensuring that any access ex-employees have is completely severed.

2. Create a Device Inventory

For businesses that give employees a company device, we recommend creating a thorough device inventory so you’re fully aware of any endpoints connected to the network.

This inventory should include important device information such as:

• Manufacturing brand and model
• Serial number
• If the device is shared
• Date of enrollment to company
• Latest upgrade

Keeping track of devices and their security status is a major pillar in any cybersecurity strategy. Knowing which devices are used, by whom, and how they’re provisioned increases visibility into your network and helps substantially reduce cyber risk in remote work environments.

For companies with a bring your own device (BYOD) policy, implementing security measures that require employees to keep devices updated and establishing a website block list can get the ball rolling.

3. Use a VPN

According to AV Atlas, 335,493 new malware are discovered every second.

Including a VPN protocol within your security policy for remote workers is one of the most effective ways to achieve cybersecurity.

A VPN or virtual private network is an encrypted connection that acts as a private network over a public network. Therefore, while your remote employees are using a home or public Wi-Fi, a VPN connection ensures network security and data privacy.

A VPN acts like a tunnel directing your remote employee’s devices to the safety of your network. With a VPN, remote workers can:

• Access data that is only accessible through a private network
• Prevent tracking through a masked IP address
• Reduce the risks of a breach with a secure connection
• Use their own device without endangering company assets

4. Implement Password Safety

A strong password policy also needs to be included in your cybersecurity strategy because, without one, employees may be tempted to use passwords that are easy to remember (and therefore easy to guess) or use the same password for much too long.

The strongest password policies almost always feature multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible. Your company can use a verified authentication app that generates passwords when users need to log in. For companies of a larger scale, a cloud-based, encrypted password management system allows easy tracking and account control.

You can also consider passwordless authentication methods. Biometric log-ins, like using facial recognition or fingerprint readers, are often used in smartphones and laptops because they’re nearly impossible to replicate fraudulently, making these excellent device security measures.

Account admins play an important role in system access as well. An admin account has control of other users’ access and can grant or deny access to various systems and databases across the network. This is especially helpful when off-boarding employees since platforms can take hours to erase individual accounts.

5. Use Next-Gen Antivirus

Next-gen antivirus (NGAV) takes traditional antivirus software to a new level since it combines modern technology, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to defend devices and networks against threats.

Next-gen antivirus identifies user behavior trends and collects data to analyze it and detect unusual behavior and attacks from bad actors. It can find threats before any unique identifier is catalogued by traditional antivirus solutions, putting your cybersecurity experts ahead of new-aged threats before they’re launched.

6. Facilitate Ongoing Training

Keeping your remote workers up to date on cybersecurity trends and compliance policies is another proactive way to maintain a security policy for remote workers.

Educating them and communicating goals will also motivate your workforce to prioritize security in both their work and personal lives.

Engage your employees with interactive sessions, distribute regular cybersecurity training, demonstrate how attacks take place, how their network can be hacked, and use inspiring language that empowers them in their contribution to the overall security of your organization.

7. Consider Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM)

Remote monitoring and management allows cybersecurity teams to check up on devices and networks remotely. This is a great alternative when remote workers use their own devices.

With an RMM solution installed on computers, mobile devices, and other endpoints, your cybersecurity team can:

• Retrieve information about each device
• Upgrade device software
• Monitor for problems remotely
• Flag suspicious and unusual network activity

With RMM, individual employees outside of the IT and cybersecurity teams need not worry as they work.

RMM solutions also allow you to gather data on devices, monitor multiple networks, track device health, and get alerts when problems arise.

If your company does not have the budget to invest in an IT or cybersecurity team, this is a reasonable way to implement and enforce a powerful security policy for remote workers.

Wrapping Up on Cybersecurity for Remote Work Environments

Whether your employees work on-site or in a remote environment, network security should be a top priority for modern businesses. Implementing the cybersecurity tools and protocols outlined above will build up network defenses and protect your business, data, and people no matter where they work.

Educating your employees, installing anti-malware and next-gen antivirus technologies, and implementing a layered security policy that your staff can follow are some of the ways you can protect your company devices and data.

The best cybersecurity measures are proactive but it’s up to you to start implementing them.

If you know you need a more evolved cybersecurity strategy, check out DOT Security’s Cybersecurity Checklist: How Covered is Your Business? for expert suggestions on where to start.