IT risk assessment policy and procedures.

In 2020, companies across the world raced to implement work-from-home solutions. Although remote work is nothing new, this was a first for many employers and employees alike. Despite the rush to adopt this new way to conduct business, many organizations found the transition a success. Unfortunately, they also unintentionally opened themselves up to a plethora of cybersecurity risks in the process.

There are many benefits that come with working remotely, but working in an office provides a certain level of protection you can’t get at home. In-office employees have access to:

• Enterprise-level cybersecurity
• In-person IT services
• An environment where it’s relatively safe to leave hardware unattended and let others view your documents 

In addition, most workplaces have established policies and procedures that focus on keeping everything secure. Once your employees start operating outside of the office, they lose some of these protections. 

Now that it’s 2021, a lot of companies that were unfamiliar with the risks of working from home are realizing they have vulnerabilities they didn’t have before. Some examples include employees connecting to unsecure networks or using personal devices for work purposes. There’s also the risk of strangers seeing internal documents or stealing company hardware. These are only a few of the vulnerabilities these companies face.

If you want to implement a work-from-home business model, it’s important to take these risks into consideration. From there, you can create IT security protocols and policies that mitigate the potential threats caused by telecommuting. But what work-from-home policies and procedures should you implement?

A work-from-home policy is an agreement between you and your employees that clearly defines your expectations for your team and their responsibilities while working remotely. Procedures establish the official way that things need to be done. In terms of cybersecurity, this could refer to something like always using multi-factor authentication when logging in to an account.

The policies and procedures you choose depend on the security demands of your business. However, here are a few general steps that work well for most businesses:

• Have your employees go through training: Employees are the biggest vulnerability for a company. If they don’t know how to spot a cyberthreat when they see one, they could put your network at risk. Through training, they can learn how to spot suspicious activity, like phishing emails.
• Separate personal devices from work devices: Employees should also set boundaries between their personal and work devices. It’s tempting to take care of personal matters like ordering dinner or shopping online while you’re on your work computer. But a work computer should only be used for work. While it may be inconvenient to switch back and forth, it minimizes risk.
• Stick to corporate services: Your organization likely has its own set of tools for business. These applications are configured by your IT department or managed service provider (MSP) to be secure. However, your IT team or MSP isn’t responsible for something like your personal email account. Your personal inbox is much more likely to have something like a phishing email in it than an app that’s monitored by your MSP.

Your cybersecurity training should be based on the unique dangers your company is vulnerable to. Employees also need to know more than how to identify threats. They should know what to do in the event of an attack and who to contact. 

To make sure your workforce is prepared for cyberthreats, you need to perform “live fire” attack training. Live fire attacks are simulations that mimic real-life scenarios. These allow your staff to put their knowledge to the test while also providing an opportunity for you to see how your team would react in a certain situation.

If you’re interested in comprehensive cybersecurity training, the 42, Inc. team can help. We perform realistic live fire attacks to teach your employees, like simulated phishing scams. 42, Inc. can also provide ongoing education, one-on-one coaching, and more so your team can stay updated on the latest best practices.

In order to make sure your policies and procedures are adequate, it’s more than worth it to perform a risk assessment. A risk assessment is when a third party reviews your cybersecurity framework. It’s necessary to have someone with an unbiased eye take a look into your processes to make sure you’re doing everything that’s required to stay secure. 

With an assessment, you can answer crucial security questions like whether users have access to too much information or whether your remote employees have a safe way to obtain sensitive files. With this information, you can do what’s required to eliminate risks caused by your team working from home.

Don’t leave anything to chance—schedule a risk assessment with 42, Inc. today. Our team will review every aspect of your security to provide a clear picture of what you need to improve. As your partner, we make adjustments immediately so all of your vulnerabilities disappear.

Contact us today to learn more about the services 42, Inc. offers.