Six months after the start of the 2020 pandemic millions of people in the USA still work from home.
As South Carolinians are getting ready to send their kids back to school, many parents are opting to keep them home. If you are homeschooling one or more children in Fall 2020, this might be of interest to you.
Homeschooling in a smarthome is just plan smart!
Commercial Security System Updates For the Pandemic!
With COVID-19 forcing many employees to work from home, business executives are having to rethink their online and offline security needs.
Security procedures that were in place before the pandemic might no longer be valid as employees work from home, and new strategies are having to be implemented.
This article looks at three vulnerable areas of security as a starting point for those who manage companies in the time of this coronavirus pandemic.
1. Remote Security Monitoring Capabilities
While stores might or might not be open, offices are shut or only open for limited hours and with limited employees, for those in charge of employee safety, inventory and customer satisfaction it is imperative to be able to monitor on-going activities on location, from home.
Does you current commercial security system have these capabilities? Can you monitor your cameras from your phone? Can you watch your employees, keep an eye on your customers or your backroom inventory? Are you monitoring the commercial alarm system from any device?
You should be able to do this at anytime, but with so many people working from home, this has become an essential piece of data and communication between employers and employees .
If you are not currently monitoring cameras and activity in real-time, it’s time for an upgrade.
2. Renewed and Updated Cybersecurity Protocol
With millions of employees quickly transitioning to working from home, it’s easy for businesses to have forgotten to update their cybersecurity protocol.
If that was you, now is the time to get it done!
“Working from home brings security concerns that are unique to those seen in a traditional office setting. While working from home, employees may be accessing or transmitting trade secrets, personal information of individuals, and other confidential information. Exposure of trade secrets or confidential business information can cause expensive damages or loss to a company” Source CPO Magazine.
Things to be aware of and fix ASAP:
- Coronavirus scams
- Not-secure Wifi connections
Things to implement include:
- Cybersecurity software
- Secure access to company server
- Off-network communications
- Ensure Secure passwords are in place, including two-factor verification for Google accounts and social media channels.
- Shutdown of all devices when not in use.
Check out our Best Work From Home Cybersecurity Tips
3. Employee Information and Privacy Protection
While your employees are at home, often using work computers to get work done, it’s important to update your employee information, to protect their privacy as well as yours!
This includes things like choosing the right video platforms .
While Zoom has had security issues, Webex is secure enough for the large TV networks and financial institutions to use.
Sharing sensitive information through online portals also requires special software – just make sure sure that you, the employer are aware of and are in charge of the tools used by everyone who works for you from home!
By updating your online and offline security strategies you are providing a safe and secure working environment for everyone; those who will continue to work form home into 2021 and those who might want to migrate back into the office.
