Protect Your PC: How to Work from Home Securely

Right now, many of us are working from home. Within the walls of our homes, we have a sense of security. Rightfully so. However, that doesn’t always extend to our online usage. Especially, when it comes to work. Unless if you have put the effort in, it’s likely that your home Wi-Fi network isn’t as secure as it could be, like what you’re used to in the office.

When you are in the office, you are protected by a sound wireless infrastructure (or at least you should be). IT teams work hard to make sure this is true. However, when you are forced to, or choose to, leave the office and begin working from home, you are suddenly not as protected as you need to be, because other employees are dispersed all over the place on separate, personal networks.

When you connect to your work server from outside of the office, you run high security risks. Especially, if your personal home network isn’t secured. Here are some tips to follow to make sure that you, your colleagues and your company remain safe while working from home:

Secure your computer.

If you can, use your work-issued computer to do your work. If you don’t have one or you are too tempted to use a personal device, then make sure the device is secured. This means running anti-virus software on a regular basis. Also, making sure that your device is updated regularly, too. Each time your operating system (Windows, Mac, etc.) come out with a new patch, run the update. You might lose a few minutes waiting for the program to run, but you will be saving so much more by doing it.

Secure your network.

Not only will securing your network keep your neighbors out, but it will protect your company’s work and product. Securing your network should consist of the following steps:

• Change your network password to a strong one.
• Set up a virtual private network (VPN).
• Enable a guest network for your work device.

Securing your network will also make sure everything performs smoothly, reducing strain on your network.

Secure communication channels & your data.

Email encryption is crucial. So is protecting yourself in video conferencing platforms. Make sure to only use communication channels that you know are secured or vetted by your company.

Make sure that the information you share isn’t too personal. Try to avoid doing other personal tasks or research from your work device, too. Things like looking up banking information, paying bills, online shopping with your credit card, filling out government forms including your social security number, or surfing inappropriate content.

Secure your passwords.

Change your passwords often, and make sure they are strong. Lengthy character-ridden passwords are suggested for a reason. They are randomized and more difficult for hackers to crack. Using a secure password manager program can help you remember all of your passwords.

Securely & Confidently WFH

No one wants to be the reason that their company faces a security breach. With these tips in mind and in place, you can confidently work from home, knowing that you and everyone you work with are safer.

Get more out of your Wi-Fi while you work from home:

Use a Wi-Fi extender to eliminate WiFi dead zones in your home.

Use a Wi-Fi manager to optimize your Wi-Fi network performance to achieve the best speeds and connections for your connected devices.

Want more Wi-Fi security tips like this? Check out Actiontec’s blog.