Secure your access when away from the office

Being able to access the office while on the road can provide increased productivity and flexibility. However, it is important to practice online security to ensure that your business is protected.

Options for connecting to the office

There are many ways to connect to your business network through items such as a laptop, a home computer or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

It is important that only legitimate users have remote access to your system and sensitive business information.

What can you do?

• Ensure that all staff have strong passwords on their mobile devices.
• Make sure that staff using laptops do not set their computer to logon automatically and that they don’t store their password on their laptop.
• Delete staff remote access privileges once they are not needed. For example, don’t let someone who has left the company retain access to your network.
• Ensure that you have a secure network, including an effective firewall and security software installed to keep out unwanted connections.

Securing remote access requires a degree of technical knowledge. If remote access is an important part of your business, and you transmit sensitive business information, it may be worthwhile to invest in specialist advice from a computer expert.