During Home Office Safety and Security Week which occurs in the second full week in January each year, individuals are urged to assess the safety of their home work environments. Take time to learn about home office safety and security strategies, then assess your workspace to pinpoint any security vulnerabilities that could jeopardize you or your data.
Many of the best practices for home office safety and security are common sense, and yet it can be hard to stay vigilant, especially in the comfort of our own homes. Follow these 7 simple strategies for a safe and secure home office.
UTILIZE MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
To ensure maximum safety and security of your devices, consider using two-factor authentication whenever possible. This type of authentication requires users to provide two credentials in order to gain access—combining something they know (i.e., password) with something they possess (i.e., smartphone). This added layer of protection helps protect your accounts from being accessed without authorization, even if someone has obtained your password through nefarious means such as phishing scams or malware attacks.
USE DEVICE SECURITY MEASURES
All mobile devices should come equipped with security measures such as full disk encryption, remote wiping capabilities, antivirus software, and lock screens that require passwords or patterns for access control. By taking full advantage of these features, you can make it far more difficult for criminals to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information stored on your device—or worse—gain control over it completely!
REGULARLY UPDATE SOFTWARE & APPS
It’s important to stay up-to-date with all software and application updates available for your device, including operating system updates and patches released by mobile device manufacturers or third-party developers responsible for creating the apps installed on your phone or tablet computer. These critical updates are designed specifically to protect against known vulnerabilities found within existing versions—so don’t skip them!
KEEP YOUR PERSONAL DATA IN A SECURE PLACE
Be mindful of where your data is stored and how it is protected. Avoid storing personal information on unsecured networks or websites that have weak data security policies. Instead, look for trusted cloud storage options with strong encryption protocols and access controls to keep your confidential data safe.
CHOOSE REPUTABLE APP STORES
Be sure to only use reputable app stores such as Apple’s App Store or Google Play, as some apps may contain malicious code or viruses that can compromise your device.
REMEMBER PHYSICAL SECURITY
Be sure to control who has access to your home office. This can be as simple as ensuring the locks on doors and windows are effective and functional, or as technologically advanced as installing an alarm system or cameras in strategic locations around your property.
MAKE BACKUPS & SET UP SECURITY NOTIFICATIONS
Creating regular backups of important data stored on your device will help ensure it is accessible if the device itself should ever become lost or stolen in the future; while setting up security notifications will alert you should any suspicious activity take place on connected accounts linked back to the device itself (such as emails sent from a Gmail account associated with the phone).
Keeping sensitive information secure in a home office setting is of the utmost importance. If not properly guarded, this data can be vulnerable to theft, fraud, or abuse by unauthorized individuals, resulting in serious financial and emotional repercussions.
For more information on how to keep your home office safe and secure, reach out to Kapnick’s personal insurance experts who can discuss with you the value of:
- Personal cyber insurance
- Home and family risk management solutions
- And more!
