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For online learning, your mindset matters more than discipline

  • min read
    • Tech is a career for those who can keep up. You're continually learning new things, from colleagues, at conferences and in more formal ways, like online professional development. You've chosen to move to the next level with online learning, despite the fact you're already busy in life and in work. But that's what leaders do – decide the strategy and make it happen, whatever's stacked against you. An online course is hardly the biggest challenge of your career – and yet, you procrastinate, delay and avoid it. What's going wrong, and are there ways to smooth the path to greater knowledge? Don't we just need more discipline? There are myriad articles on how to make the most of online learning. Words like 'control,' 'time management' and 'commitment' bark out of them like a high-ranking military official chastising the troops. Laziness doesn't exist Do we avoid learning because we're lazy? Probably not. Assistant Professor in Applied Social Psychology at Loyola Chicago University School of Continuing and Professional Development, Devon Price, says over six years of teaching they've never once had a student whose learning failures related to laziness. Price believes research in social psychology casts doubt on the existence of laziness, because in any situation, our circumstances better predict how we'll act than individual traits. Price says, "There are always barriers. Recognizing those barriers – and viewing them as legitimate – is often the first step to breaking "lazy" behavior patterns. It's helpful to respond to ineffective behavior with curiosity rather than judgment." If you've failed to motivate yourself to learn, what can seem encouraging self-talk: "I can do it… I've just been lazy so far, that's all," might, in fact, be discouraging. The take-away: Instead of minimizing and ignoring what makes learning harder, look for physical or mental discomforts you can reduce. Whether it's a stiff neck, a stuffy room or glasses that need cleaning, in doing what you can to reduce these, you're placing greater value on yourself and your learning. There's no sweet spot for everyone. Some learn better with music playing, some need silence. Approach barriers with curiosity, exploring what works for you, rather than expecting an instant fix. Killing procrastination with kindness Blogger Tim Urban's TED talk on procrastination will have you rolling on the floor, but his central point is serious and poignant. Everyone procrastinates, and the types of procrastination that limit our potential most are the least visible. We come away understanding the scale of the difference we can make if we put the procrastination 'monkey' in its place. But how? Charlotte Lieberman's 2019 article in the New York Times takes a suspicious look at how we usually understand procrastination. Lieberman argues, procrastination isn't a problem of character or poor time management. Instead, we use it to cope with "challenging emotions and negative moods induced by certain tasks – boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt and beyond." By procrastinating, we then create more negative emotions, and so, a downward spiral of negative thoughts and avoiding tasks. Instead of using productivity hacks that don't deal with the root cause of procrastination, Lieberman suggests the downward spiral can be interrupted with self-compassion and self-forgiveness. A 2010 study found students assigned a task of forgiving themselves for procrastinating went on to procrastinate less in the future, and a 2012 study of over 700 students found those who procrastinated most had the lowest levels of self-compassion and the highest levels of stress. Sarah Rose Cavanagh is a psychologist and professor who researches the role of emotions in learning. She offers practical advice: "Procrastination is worse when we're overwhelmed with stress and anxiety, in part because our to-do list gets longer. "Research shows a lot of procrastination is about inability to prioritize. Techniques that level the playing field help by making it clear what comes first and second. Write all the things you need to do on slips of paper, crumble them and toss them in a hat. Choose, and do them, one by one. By taking prioritization out of your hands, you remove a means of procrastination. At the same time, reduce the lure of emotionally gratifying temptations by using the Pomodoro Technique, where you work with no recourse to distraction, then reward yourself with a break." The take-away: Think kind thoughts toward your procrastination. Forgive yourself. Use your short-term desire for good feelings to your advantage by rewarding yourself when complete short, focused blocks of work. Tell your negative thoughts a better story I asked Cavanagh what will reduce anxiety when learning online, and so, improve learning. She pointed to her recent study showing reframing emotions with cognitive reappraisal improved long-term learning. Cognitive reappraisal is recognizing negative thoughts and beliefs, and swapping them out for thoughts and beliefs that support your goals. You can for example, look for assumptions in your thoughts and test them, or simply choose a more positive interpretation of events. For example, a thought such as, "I don't understand this part, and it's only going to get harder from here on in. There's no point going on," could become, "This part is a bit unclear, but if I keep going, it may come into focus once I learn more." Cognitive reappraisal takes practice. Cavanagh's research also showed that using it didn't change the outcome of a single learning session, but led to better results across the length of a course. Whichever way you choose to rethink learning in the online age, the most important lesson might be to stick with it.
covid19 homeworking survey

Research shows IT security change needed in wake of COVID-19 work-from-home move

  • min read
    • For those fortunate enough to be in work, COVID-19 has changed working life. Social distancing means many usually based in an office now work from home. It certainly has its benefits. https://youtu.be/MBwUn9fTzUk Cybersecurity needs for remote workers are also changing, as cybercriminals adapt to new opportunities for compromise. For example, they're taking advantage of heightened interest in news about COVID-19 and changes in habits. We've seen an increase in phishing attacks, like COVID-19 advice emails from hackers pretending to be healthcare organizations. The Kaspersky team dived deeper to find out how this is affecting employees. The report How COVID-19 changed the way people work came out of interviewing more than 6,000 people in 12 countries. It found many businesses ill-equipped many to face homeworking security challenges. These are some of the report's highlights. Personal use of work equipment causes blushes A good way for hackers to access your corporate network right now is when employees use corporate equipment for personal tasks. Or when they use corporate networks through unsecured or poorly secured personal devices. More than one in two respondents have corporate equipment to work from home, but two-thirds said they use personal computers. That means IT and data security teams may have less visibility about corporate data use. It's particularly concerning, because 84 percent of those using personal computers for work also let others in their household use those same computers. It's no problem as we're all using anti-virus software, right? Good work, the one in three employers who've provided homeworkers with anti-virus software for their personal devices. For those that haven't, devices, and so corporate data, could be easily hacked. What you do on your device could lead to more blushes. One in three respondents admitted to visiting adult websites on personal computers they use for work. Cybercriminals use porn as a hook to seduce victims, then steal bank card details or trick the victim into installing malware. That's one way to get a red face and a red bank balance. Fridges can eat corporate data How employees connect to your network is critical. Cybercriminals love the remote desktop software companies have been installing to let employees access internal systems. Since the beginning of March 2020, there's been a sharp rise in attacks on ports open for Microsoft's popular remote desktop protocol tool, RDP. When connecting remotely to the corporate network from home, employees don't think about what else is linked to their home router. It might be a smart fridge or vacuum cleaner that's smarter than it lets on, thanks to internet of things security vulnerabilities. The home router may also be poorly protected or already compromised. A virtual private network (VPN) can solve both problems. With a VPN, work machines communicate with the corporate network over a secure channel. Direct connections are blocked. But the report found only one in two employees use a VPN. Homeworking isn't home comforts for all There's good evidence to support the benefits of flexible and homeworking, but the sudden transition hasn't suited everyone. One in two respondents hadn't worked from home before. With nine in ten respondents living with others, there can be strains from life with new 'co-workers.' One in three parents have had arguments with their children over internet use and find it hard to control how their kids use the internet, on top of the challenges of home-schooling and juggling childcare with work. Despite these problems, three in ten still think they're more productive working at home. Four in ten say they're equally productive. How can you improve your work-from-home life? The report proposes ways of addressing the more common work-from-home frustrations. Alena Reva, Kaspersky's Vice President of Human Resources, North America, points to existing knowledge of what works: "Studies of groups working in Antarctica show that eventually, our brains turn on 'psychological hibernation' to cope with stress. If that's happening to you, maybe ask for time off and have a week of self-care: Get sunlight, talk to friends and family, and read your favorite books." For those with children at home, Alena recommends revisiting routines. "I have an autistic eight-year-old at home who can barely tolerate any changes. Most kids thrive on structure, so you need to create one that works for your household. If you and your partner have to work, a schedule can help. "Try the Pomodoro Technique. Here, the first partner works for 25 minutes then takes a five-minute break, while the second partner watches the kids. Then switch. Research shows 25-minute intervals are best for productivity – it creates just enough urgency to eliminate distractions so you can concentrate. And most kids can focus for 25 minutes." Mental health when working from home presents particular challenges, especially for managers looking out for their team's wellbeing. Two leading workplace psychologists say there are things we can do to help ourselves and our colleagues stay mentally well. How can you help your employees be more secure? Human behavior causes most corporate data breaches, so raising employee cyber awareness is one of the best ways to take action against cybercrime. Leaders should be thinking about how to deliver cybersecurity training in effective ways for homeworkers. For better engagement in the learning material and more bang for their time, use adaptive learning, meaning, learning that assesses and adapts to each person's level of knowledge, skill and confidence. 'Stay safe, stay secure' is an ideal, free course for employees new to remote working. It covers things like choosing strong passwords, the importance of endpoint protection and regular software updates in just 30 minutes. If you're an IT manager, you'll want to set your business up for security success. Make sure you know the biggest cybersecurity pitfalls with remote workers and what you can do. Homeworking, while necessary right now, should be part of a cultural shift to digital transformation. It's time to set the path for the cultural change to make secure homeworking a success. This article was published in May, 2020.
remote working cat laptop cybersecurity training homeworkers

Now we’re all working from home, we need to become more cybersecurity aware

  • min read
    • COVID-19 has triggered a worldwide work-from-home situation for pretty much everyone that can do it in 2020. Although the virus is impacting nearly every aspect of our lives, there may be a silver lining: remote working can benefit businesses and the planet. Remote working has been steadily growing in popularity over the last few years, and for good reasons. A Stanford University study found that employees were, on average, 13 percent more productive at home as opposed to in the office. And there are operational benefits too. Organizations with flexible work-from-home schedules tend to spend less on running large offices or scale down their office space. Throw in the fact that you're sparing the planet your employees' commute (dolphins returning to Venice canals is an extreme but excellent example), and it's a no-brainer. I'm not advocating a constant work-from-home situation – innovation thrives with face time with others – but if COVID-19 teaches us anything, it's that remote working could benefit business and the planet. Remote working increases cybersecurity risks Remote working is a massive change in the way people work, and if handled without preparation, there are some serious cybersecurity risks. Most will be down to the way your employees work. A 2019 report by Kaspersky found that 72 percent of employees in smaller businesses store documents that have personally identifiable data.  And in a 2019 report on the cost of cyber-breaches, 52 percent of enterprises reported that breaches happen after employees' inappropriate IT use. Changing behavior is your biggest cybersecurity challenge Employees feel removed from the corporate gaze when they're at home, which can aid productivity. But it also means they may not be as conscious of following security best practices, and IT staff aren't on hand to give quick-fire advice. Nine times out of ten, your employees will work using a corporate device (if you've provided it) but they may use it for personal stuff, like online shopping. Hackers are smart; they anticipate these changes and are always seeking new ways to exploit your business. With so many people at home 24/7 and shopping online, we see a big spike in online phishing attacks. Hackers are embedding traps by setting up fake sites emulating big-name online supermarkets. We see an increase in situation-sensitive phishing attacks, like COVID-19 advice emails from hackers pretending to be healthcare organizations. Once users click on these, especially if they're connected to your corporate VPN, hackers can get access to your network, which could place your entire corporate data at risk. Everyone working from home concurrently also throws up new challenges for how IT teams can best support users. Usually, in an office, an employee might go to the IT team and say, "My computer is running slow, can you help?" The IT support desk fixes the issue promptly, and then all is well. When they're at home, they may just live with it, particularly when IT managers are overloaded with new requests from novice homeworkers. What happens when there's an immediate issue? Many IT teams don't have the experience or tools to investigate remote cyberattacks and cure them instantly. So the focus right now is to increase our efforts to stop these attacks before they happen.  But how? Teach your teams to become cyber-aware Training is crucial to help your teams to become cyber-aware. Plan a program of learning, with a mix of online learning, classroom (virtual or real-world) and regular advice by email. You could test whether people can spot a phishing attack by setting up a fake phishing email.  To start, try this free 30-minute adaptive learning course by Kaspersky and Area9 Lyceum for those who are new to remote working to help them work safely from home with lessons about choosing strong passwords, the importance of endpoint protection and regular software updates. Employees need to know what's acceptable to do on corporate devices, rather than simply what they shouldn't do. With weekly calls or online chats, you can talk to users about what they're seeing, advise them on best practice and answer their questions. This gets them comfortable talking to the experts, so if something happens, you can respond quicker. Build a culture of trust Unfortunately, in many larger organizations, there isn't a culture of transparency between employees and IT on cyber matters. When people make mistakes, they're either unaware of what they've done or are scared they'll lose their job, so they may not formally report a data breach incident that ends up damaging the company. You need to build a culture of trust and transparency between employees and the IT team. Open communication is critical. Advise against casual browsing on work devices Casual browsing may lead to compromised network security, so make sure employees know this and encourage them to do personal things – like shopping, social media or reading news – on their own devices. Patch employees' machines If your employees' devices aren't completely patched and up-to-date, the chances increase of hackers finding a vulnerability in your system. Remotely access their machine to patch or help them do it themselves over the phone. Even better, install an automated patching solution. Ask people to change default passwords on home routers Most home routers use a default password, which hackers can find and then get into the back end of the home network. Few people bother to change it because it's a somewhat tricky process, but it will drastically improve employees' cyber-defenses.  Show them how they can do it. Cybersecurity in the age of remote working After COVID-19 restrictions are over, and organizations see how well their staff have handled working from home, it will change the way we work forever. I think employers or governments are likely to implement a one-day-a-week remote working policy. With that in mind, you need to know the cyber-risks of remote working, how you can prepare your teams, and encourage a culture of collaboration and transparency. If you're thinking about extending remote working beyond COVID-19, get the right cybersecurity training program and products in place to keep your teams and business safe.
homeworking mental health

Supporting your home-working team’s mental health: Advice from psychologists

  • min read
    • That's how Time magazine describes working life in 2020, after measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. How will this unexpected shift from office life, and the pandemic's upheaval and uncertainty, impact employees? I asked two world-leading experts in workplace mental health what managers can do now to build their team wellbeing. Set the standard for mental health at work We know we need physical health and safety to protect everyone. The need to protect mental health at work is less well understood. Leading expert and media commentator, Dr. Joti Samra, R.Psych., wants to change that. She helped establish the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, a world-first of its kind. It's now informing the development of an international ISO standard. She's now founder and CEO of MyWorkplaceHealth, a consultancy helping businesses make their workplace more psychologically healthy. The National Standard identifies 13 factors that contribute to a psychologically safe work environment, including civility, respect and clear leadership. Samra believes we now need to increase efforts to maintain these standards. She says, "Our research tells us when we enhance these, it's win-win. Customer ratings, staff retention and the bottom line all improve." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx3e073AEx8&amp=&t=24s Dr. Joti Samra's free webinar, Enhancing Psychological Health, Wellness and Resilience in the Era of COVID-19 "Every business in the world is changing because of COVID-19. We must evaluate what we're doing now – what's going well, and be honest about the pain points. We need to plan for resilience." Good mental health starts with good people management People managers are the nexus of success, in Samra's view. "Every business leader in the world is in a tricky position right now. We carry great weight because of our responsibility for others. Your direct manager is important in balancing your baseline stress. We must give leaders the skills to self-regulate, understand their stress triggers and stay calm. "Unpredictable events and things out of our control distress many people. Coronavirus is 'check' on all counts. To manage anxiety, you need to build more certainty. I'm writing one, three, six, 12 and 18-month plans and financials to give more predictability. It's keeping me sane as a CEO and it resonates with my corporate clients. "I've run my start-up for a year. We were just getting into a flow. Now we've had to change for new priorities, plus business as usual. I'm re-thinking what's critical and what can take a backseat. I break it into details week to week, or sometimes day to day. This means we can move quickly as things change." Value trust and openness Trust is at the center of the shift to remote work. Kristina Barger is an expert in remote team management and psychological wellbeing. She's worked with start-ups in London, New York and South Korea. She warns trust is fragile. It can easily break when teams are spread out and in times of crisis. "If you disagree with a co-worker in your office, you can blow over a problem by taking coffee together. But when you don't see people, it's easier to misconstrue something. If problems aren't addressed, they compound." Give more praise and rewards "Uncertainty makes deadlines harder for people to hit," says Barger. "Setting up routine and reward is important. People need a positive boost. Cut both your and your team's tasks into smaller chunks, check it off and reward yourself. It could be just, saying thank you to a co-worker, or a break to call a friend." Samra believes changing times may mean managers need to be change tack. "Let's be more forgiving. Acknowledge no one will be at their best right now and create a culture of trust. Let people work out their schedule around their new life. This helps build loyalty and work-life balance." Communicate more often and more deeply Samra believes people managers need to know how to communicate effectively. "Have 1-2-1s with direct reports more often to understand their stress points. It may be money, children or caring for an elderly relative. Adapt expectations to each person's needs. I'm asking my managers to have more contact to find out who's OK and who's struggling, so we can give them early support." Barger also recommends talking more. "We can't separate what's happening in the outside world with what's going on in our teams. Replace the 'water cooler' moment by making time to connect. Start meetings with light chit-chat or a check-in." Ry Morgan, Founder of workplace mental health platform Unmind, likens mental health to dental hygiene. We should all do something about it each day. In the same way you brush your teeth regularly, check in with yourself and then your team – at work and home. Have more virtual face time Samra also recommends more virtual face time. "We're having more video meetings. It takes more time than a call, but the human connection helps normalize this surreal time. Social connection helps us not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity." Barger says it's good for leaders to show vulnerability. It should be OK to express emotion at work. "It's more authentic if you open up, like saying, 'It's tough for me too. My kids are driving me crazy!'" Share freely, and personalize it Information overload is affecting everyone, particularly people managers. Samra asks us to personalize communication. "Connect individually and ask what they need. It shouldn't be 'one size fits all.'" Digital sharing tools can help. Barger and her peers launched the Remote Leadership Support Group, a Slack community for managers to get credible advice and support from vetted experts. Samra has also used Slack for her start-up's internal comms. "It's optional. People can use it if they need it." She advises, "Share information proactively with your teams. If you offer employee benefits like counseling or health at work schemes, make sure everyone knows how to access them. There are also free resources that can help." The blog for MyWorkplaceHealth is an impressive trove of articles on meeting the challenges of the pandemic and mental health at work issues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZuB-kUJD_A&feature=emb_title Tips on managing coronavirus anxiety at work, one of many free resources from MyWorkplaceHealth Watch for the warning signs of deteriorating mental health Mental health can decline slowly over time. "You don't usually notice it's happening to you until you're far into it. We need to see subtle shifts –missed deadlines, late to calls, or rambling or confusing emails," says Barger. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety at work cost the global economy 1 trillion US dollars in lost productivity. For working adults in the UK, about 15 percent have current mental health issues. During the pandemic, these numbers could grow. Barger explains, "Things that are good for us – like money, predictability and socializing – have been taken away or reduced." How to start that difficult conversation about mental health Barger suggests a tiered approach. "Lay the groundwork by normalizing the change we're all going through in group emails and calls. Explain the resources available and that you're there for them. Next, is individual check-ins. "Managers need to set the tone by being compassionate and non-judgmental. When you say 'come to me with a problem,' it might not happen straight away. This all takes work. There can be denial. Explain to the team that to connect, you'll schedule a 'virtual coffee,' so people don't feel singled out." She advises paying attention to cultural differences and personality preferences. "Reach out to those who are more emotionally reserved, but without pressure. You could ask peers to check in with each other if they have a good relationship." Reduce time-consuming negative news While we adjust to new ways of working, there's potential for burnout from long hours. With nothing to break up the day, things can become overwhelming, on top of the news. Barger recommends, "If you notice the news getting you down, monitor your access. Research in Israel showed consuming news more than twice a day had negative mental health consequences." How to create structure in changing times In the unexpected shift to the home office, many of us have new co-workers in partners, housemates, pets and children. Samra believes strengths and weaknesses in personal relationships will be exaggerated. "It's a dangerous time for those in controlling or abusive relationships, but even a 'so-so' relationship can become strained. We can give our employees structure, so they have an escape from their personal lives. Let's encourage people to get up, get showered, get dressed – video helps with this – then shut the door." If you have concerns about a colleague's safety in a relationship, don't ignore them. Find out what local violence-prevention agencies advise. The UK's Department for Health has guidance for managers on recognizing the signs of domestic abuse, and what to do about it. Barger says the route to productivity is different for each person. Regular, scheduled breaks are essential to decompress and refocus. "Someone in a crowded house-share could work for an hour then have something relaxing scheduled, like a call or coffee with a housemate. If it's not scheduled, it won't happen. Structure needs discipline. If you dive into a Netflix binge during a work day, it won't feel rewarding later." She believes relaxation is also important to recharge. "Meditation is often ideal, but if you're feeling extremely anxious, it may not be so effective. A few minutes of exercise can help. Try it every day for a week and see how it makes you feel." How can remote working make business better? Despite the challenges today, Barger believes there are business wins. "People will need to improve their communication skills. It could help improve planning and structure. The commute and office environment had given us structure, but now we need to make it for ourselves." Samra notes that physical separation can also unite people on common ground. "As a planet, we've never had a more shared experience. It's brought my team together by sharing more about our lives." "We live in unprecedented times" has become an overnight cliché in the pandemic world. But we need to adapt how we work to meet the challenges ahead. And that starts with looking after ourselves and our people.
security home working

Securing home workers isn’t just about technology. It’s about business culture.

  • min read
    • In recent years we've become accustomed to hearing how new technology is changing how people think and interact. But throughout most of history, it's been more a case of needs must – we've created technology to overcome challenges our environment has thrown us. The technology that lets us work from home is good for more than carrying on business in a crisis. Employees escape cramped cubicles and noisy open offices. They cut hours (and pollution) from their daily commute. We work at times that suit us, in a place we're most comfortable, closer to loved ones. Businesses can tap into talent around the world and reduce the cost of assets and buildings. They also benefit from home-based employees being more productive, engaged and loyal. Change your culture as well as devices There's more to enabling working from home than giving employees a laptop and corporate smartphone or introducing a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy. It's a culture change. Business executives must lead by example and administrators must find ways to stay in control of digital assets. Charl Ueckermann, CEO of Kaspersky's Africa Partner of the Year 2020, AVeS Cyber Security says: "You want the best of both worlds: minimize business disruption and open opportunities to create new business models." Business leaders may fear losing control. Taking devices outside company buildings expands attack surfaces substantially, giving cybercriminals many new opportunities to exploit your most valuable asset – data. And when people connect to company resources over unsecured home networks, the risk multiplies. Ueckermann goes on to say: "You have to get the core things right to keep the lights on. Leadership will play a crucial role in setting the organization's cultural tone. "A new talent pool becomes available if your business is set up for teams who can work from anywhere, at any time. Highly-skilled people who were previously limited by family responsibilities or geographic location now become potential candidates to recruit." We're guilty of appalling security habits Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky, David Emm, says: "Our ability to communicate, work and transact online has never been more critical. We also have to face the reality that where people go, cybercriminals follow. If there is an opportunity to exploit a situation and lure people into disclosing personal data or sending money, you can guarantee cybercriminals will be working on it." With the number of Internet of Things-connected devices at 3.5 for every person on Earth and growing exponentially, information security must be scalable, multilayered and centrally managed. Let's face it: Many of us are guilty of some appalling mobile security habits. Despite using our smartphones for everything from business email to personal banking, over a quarter of us don't even lock our smartphone screens. When you consider how often these devices are lost or stolen, it's a big problem. Losing the device is nothing compared to hackers or other unauthorized third parties having access to every connected account and file on the device. Here's three ways you can help your home and remote workers to work more safely. 1.  Start by laying down the ground rules Check and update your cybersecurity policy so it fits the current situation for remote work. It should say clearly which devices and apps employees may use, which security measures they must adopt and how they can share corporate data. For example, you probably won't want remote-working employees accessing your data from a jailbroken iPhone or an ancient laptop with a long-obsolete operating system. Having employees well-versed in policy is essential, but we all make mistakes. Remote workers shouldn't be living in constant fear of opening the door to cybercriminals. Focus on cyber-awareness training so homeworking employees understand their responsibilities to protect corporate data and what risks they may be exposed to from social engineering. Kaspersky's David Emm's warns that, "Staff should be especially wary of messages that claim to give important information about current events, as cybercriminals are known to use this tactic." 2.  Secure employee devices To protect your corporate data, give your employees, and contractors who can access your network, the tools and hardware they need to work safely at home with easy access to IT support teams for troubleshooting. IT administrators must maintain visibility of their digital assets across an expanding array of devices and operating systems. Mobile device management (MDM) technology should accompany your cybersecurity policy to help enforce the rules. It lets administrators monitor, manage and secure devices used for work, and grant or revoke access rights. If a device is reported lost or stolen, they can remotely wipe it and revoke access rights to any online accounts from that device. Device encryption is also a no-brainer; it's vital to prevent data being compromised if the device falls into the wrong hands. 3.  Level up your data protection 90 percent of cyberattacks include social engineering, exploiting human foibles rather than technological weaknesses. It's often dead easy for scammers to dupe victims into giving away confidential information over unsecured channels by impersonating a colleague, client or business partner. If an employee gets an email masquerading as a technical support agent from a known service provider asking for remote access, there's a good chance they'll fall for it.  They can then gain access to confidential data if it isn't secured. According to Kaspersky's 2019 research about digital clutter, 72 percent of employees store documents at work that contain personally identifiable information or sensitive data. From this, the attacker can gain access to the entire business network from compromising that one employee-owned laptop. As well as educating your employees, keep all devices updated with latest versions of endpoint security. Automate measures for better data protection, like password protection and data backups. David Emm also advises to "make sure operating systems and apps are always updated. Provide a virtual private network (VPN) staff must use to connect securely to the corporate network and restrict their access rights once connected. They should protect corporate devices, including mobile devices, with security software that allows remote wiping of data from devices reported lost or stolen, segregates personal and work data and restricts app installation." Cloud-managed security can drive innovation Working away from the office is critical to be able to innovate. With business apps and data hosted in the cloud, IT administrators can enjoy centralized management by maintaining full visibility of their digital assets. Instant protection comes with reduced reliance on endpoint security since all confidential data is kept in a secure data center rather than on local devices. Business leaders no longer have to depend on their policies and device-level endpoint security – though this is still essential. They can instead build a centrally managed, software-defined computing environment where adding new users means simply creating an account, then letting the remote-working employee access everything they need through the web. This approach is not only better for information security; it reduces the need for remote workers to exchange files over email or unsecured file-sharing services. Make sure your cloud set-up is configured with the relevant level of cybersecurity protection for your company's data needs, don't expect this to be installed or run by the cloud provider. Work anywhere, secure everywhere Remote working shouldn't be a source of fear. It's not about losing control. It's about decentralizing your workforce and letting them work in new ways. In the long term, it delivers enormous value for the whole business. Today's security solutions let you control the security and compliance of your digital assets. No matter where your workers are, you can keep your corporate data safe.
telecommuting cybersecurity

Cybersecurity for home working in a hurry

  • min read
    • Rushing to make decisions that have security consequences is never ideal. Equally, there are times when we get thrown a curve ball and must act quickly. If home-working is new for your company, and you need to get policies and systems in place fast, you'll want to know the cybersecurity risks and how to reduce them. Start here to make sure your staff are securely set up to work from home as soon as possible. Home internet connections can be vulnerable When your employees work in the office on the local network, your security solutions handle data exchange processes. But when employees work from home, there's an extra variable – internet service providers (ISPs). You can't control their ISP's security, which may mean their home connection is vulnerable to attack. The solution: A reliable virtual private network (VPN) For your employees to connect remotely to corporate resources, set them up with a reliable virtual private network (VPN). This makes a secure channel between their workstation and your infrastructure. You'll also need to disallow connections to corporate resources from external networks without a VPN. Behavior changes make attacks harder to spot When people work from home, their routines change. Telecommuters can't just walk over to a colleague to talk about something. Expect an increase in correspondence, including new participants – people with whom communication used to be purely verbal. These changes give attackers more opportunity, in particular for Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks – for example, using an account with an address similar to the victim's. In other words, a fake message asking for data will not seem as unusual as it normally might. The more relaxing home environment can make many people less vigilant. The solution: Using protected work email only, and staff knowing why First, employees at home should use only work email. This makes it easier to spot a cybercriminal's attempt to impersonate a colleague from an account on another domain. Second, protect your mail servers with technologies that can detect attempts to change the message sender, like our solutions for both mail servers and Microsoft Office 365. Third, before employees start working from home, make sure they get a crash course in cyberthreats. Use of leaky collaboration tools can rise Without face-to-face contact, employees may start using other ways to collaborate. Some might not be the most reliable – and must be set up correctly. For example, a Google Docs document with certain access permission configurations may be indexed by a search engine, leaking corporate data. The same thing can happen to data in cloud storage. A collaboration environment like Slack can also leak, and a randomly added outsider could get access to the whole history of files and messages. The solution: Choose a better collaboration environment Choose a collaboration environment with suitable security and features. Participants should need a corporate email address to register. It's often worthwhile appointing a dedicated administrator to issue and revoke rights as needed. Most important, before employees work from home, hold an awareness session – which could be remote. Insist they use only the approved collaboration system, and reiterate their responsibility for keeping corporate secrets safe. Risks of home computer use Generally speaking, not all employees have access to corporate laptops. And mobile phones are not suitable for all tasks. Employees might start using their home computers. This can pose a serious threat for companies with no Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. The solution: Protected corporate equipment or BYOD policy If possible, give home-working employees appropriately protected corporate laptops and phones. These should be protected with solutions that allow remote wiping of corporate information, keep personal and corporate data separate, and restrict the ability to install applications. Make sure the devices also automatically check for the latest critical software and operating system (OS) updates. If employees must use their own devices, introduce a BYOD policy for managing corporate data on those devices, for example, partitions for business and personal data. Insist employees install home antivirus software. Allow devices to connect to corporate networks only after confirming they have a security solution installed and an up-to-date OS. Others accessing employees' equipment It's one thing for employees to work at home alone during the day, but another if they go to a café or coworking space, where risks of leakage or compromise are far greater. The solution: access policies and awareness Security policies should require a password and automatic screen lock. And as with other cybersecurity issues in telecommuting, awareness training is a must to maintain overall vigilance. This article was published in March, 2020.
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