With remote work being more common than ever, the risk of security threats has increased exponentially. Luckily, there are steps that you can take to secure remote access points for your business.
Securing your remote access points encompasses various strategies and software choices. Each piece of the puzzle contributes to more efficient cybersecurity for your business. This security means you’re at a lower risk for data breaches and cyberattacks. Lower risk means keeping your business’s sensitive data safe.
In this post, we discuss everything you need to know about securing your business data. Whether you have a small business or a medium business with a larger team, there are strategies for you.
What is secure remote access, and why does it matter?
Basically, secure remote access covers various digital security measures. The goal of these measures is to prevent unauthorized remote access to your business’s data.
Remote work has skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many companies continue work-from-home policies, even if it’s only for a day or two a week. Unfortunately, remote work also means an added digital security risk. This risk is where secure remote access comes in.
Data breaches have only grown in power and popularity. The rise of remote work has influenced this, as many businesses don’t consider security protocols. Not having strategies or a plan means your business’s data is likely at risk.
For instance, an SMB (small or medium-sized business) specializing in online retail faces significant challenges with its logistics payment system. Imagine the business employs a distributed team model, with staff working remotely from various locations, requiring frequent shipping of products and supplies across regions. Initially, the logistics payment process can be cumbersome, involving manual invoicing and delayed bank transfers, leading to inefficiencies and occasional security concerns over financial data transmission.
To address these issues, the company can adopt a secure logistics payment solution that includes secure remote access.
A centralized solution can be invaluable for enhancing security for SMBs with remote employees in various countries. Tools that offer a single dashboard to manage team access, secure remote connectivity, and protect devices from cyber threats are particularly useful. For example, platforms like PureVPN for Teams can provide these capabilities, ensuring safer online operations and protecting business assets.
This solution will enable instant, transparent, secure transactions between the company and logistics providers. It will also ensure that payments are directly linked to delivery confirmations received through a secure digital ledger and mitigate risks of unauthorized access and financial fraud.
This shift streamlines the payment process, making it more efficient, less prone to errors, and enhancing the security of financial transactions.
Why is secure remote access challenging?
Part of what makes secure remote access a challenge is that technology can change on a dime. So, despite the plethora of tasks demanding your attention, staying informed on security trends and technological advances in cybersecurity must remain a priority.
Staying on top of your security practices, protocols, and tools keeps your information safe, but it does require effort and time. Make sure to build in time for research and review — as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Another difficult aspect of secure access is the variety of items to consider. Think about apps, software, and devices that access your business’s resources. Breaking it down into smaller, more manageable lists you can review later can help. However, there’s no getting around the fact that the only way through this challenge is to just buckle down and power through.
For every new piece of software you incorporate into your business, you’ll need to understand how it fits into your digital security puzzle.
6 strategies for secure remote access
Despite the challenges of secure remote access, there are tools and strategies to boost your confidence. When surveyed, 60% of people working with or on a remote team felt confident about their company’s remote access security solutions. So, there are measures you can take to make your team feel confident.
You can take several different approaches to secure your remote access points. The approaches range from conversations with your team to software additions. Here are some of our top strategies.
Identify all access points
As the old saying goes, knowing is half the battle, and you can’t protect what isn’t on your radar. Sit down with your team and make a list of all the hardware and software you use. Make sure to include everything in your office or place of business, like POS systems.
Then, come up with a plan of action if any unauthorized users access any singular item on your list. This plan could be as simple as changing an app’s password. Prepare to talk through more complex scenarios, though.
This may be intimidating, especially if you spread your data across several different software and devices. It’ll be worth it, though. This update may also be a good time to consider combining software or remote working tools to minimize risk.
Remember to keep this list active and frequently updated. When you invest in new business software or equipment, you’ll want to add it to the list and configure security immediately.
If your team uses personal devices to access your business data, encourage them to let you know if they’ve upgraded their phone or got a new tablet. Make it easy for them by offering a simple online form to submit to management and take it from there. Even just one unaccounted device can cause a lot of grief.
VPNs
A virtual private network, or VPN, is software that protects the identity of the device using it. VPNs protect a device by encrypting its information. It also masks the device’s IP address, making it more difficult to breach. VPNs are one of the most common protection strategies. This popularity is because they offer advanced security. Plus, there are many different VPN options on the market.
A VPN is an especially good solution for remote workers who connect to insecure Wi-Fi. Insecure Wi-Fi may be in hotel rooms or other public places. VPNs offer a layer of protection beyond encryption or other security measures built into apps and software. Instead of protecting one point, VPNs enclose the whole user in a protective bubble.
A business VPN comes in handy if your staff needs to connect to internal programs outside of the corporate network (or other secure networks). Having a uniform business solution means that you have more control over the quality of the VPN that your remote team uses. Investing in a quality VPN ensures that cyber risks are less of a threat to your data.
Beyond VPNs, incorporating proxy rotation can further fortify remote access security. By periodically changing IP addresses, proxy rotation reduces the risk of external threats while keeping your team’s online activities secure and private. Together, a quality VPN and proxy rotation create a robust defense against cyber risks, ensuring your data remains well-protected in an increasingly digital workplace.
Multifactor authentication
In addition to entering the password, a remote user may verify their login with an email link and a code sent to their smartphone. This process, aptly named multifactor authentication (MFA), works well, so don’t worry too much about the mechanics.
Almost every major social media site offers multifactor authentication, and for good reason. With this system, you can be more certain that the person logging into the account is the account owner and not an unauthorized user.
An alternative to multifactor authentication is two-factor authentication (2FA). Two-factor authentication prompts the remote user for a password and sends a verification link or code. It’s less secure than multifactor authentication, but it could be a good stepping stone to get your team used to adding more steps to logging in.
Consider setting up a lockout policy if there are too many incorrect password inputs. This policy will keep anyone out who doesn’t have the remote user’s password. This is true whether they’re manually trying to log into the computer or doing it remotely.
Endpoint protection
Protecting an endpoint means that you’re protecting every device that accesses your
business’s resources. Resources might include internal servers or networks that your business owns. The point of endpoint security is protecting both these resources and every device that accesses them. This is a big part of why you’ll want to list out every device with access to these resources.
Endpoint protection can incorporate tools like VPNs. However, you can also manage protection with network-level authentication or access control, firewalls, or other verification options. Make sure to educate your team on spotting security threats on the devices they use to access business resources and that they know how to act accordingly.
Protect all remote devices your team may log in on, including phones and computers. If your team works remotely from laptops that you provide, discourage them from accessing work data from personal devices. Make sure that any mobile device apps you use are secure and have protection like encryption.
Logs and tracking via SIEM
Security information and event management (SIEM) software is a tracking log. This log flags unusual activity on someone’s IP address. Unusual activity might include logging in from an IP address they don’t usually use. SIEM will also flag if there’s an IP address present that isn’t supposed to be.
Small and medium businesses must follow specific security protocols that personal users don’t. SIEM software helps your business meet these security expectations. It also makes good common sense to integrate it into your digital security plan.
SIEM software can prevent the strange address from reaching anyone and offer clues about how it came up in the first place. This will aid in protection and enable you to pinpoint when a security breach occurs. Knowing exactly when cyber threats arrive means that you can assess what programs are at risk of attacks.
On top of all that, SIEM software works in real-time. So, you never have to worry about external threats infiltrating your business’s protection and making themselves at home. SIEM will catch the threats and act immediately.
Be conscientious about your AI tools
Artificial intelligence tools, or AI tools, are quickly taking over the tech frontier. They can streamline business tasks like no other. In addition, they can generate ideas and interpret data that helps you with your next innovation. However, because AI-powered tools are data collectors, you must be careful regarding sensitive information.
While you should ensure that your team uses all your business tools securely, you must guard sensitive information from AI. For example, say someone accidentally feeds your AI something like your customers’ addresses. It can be a massive security risk for your entire customer list, especially if the AI repeats or leaks that information.
Tools like password managers can help protect sensitive data. They use state-of-the-art encryption (AES-256) and other security protocols and features to ensure your data is impenetrable.
Secure remote access best practices
So, now that you have your strategies in hand, it’s time to think about implementation and maintenance. Cybersecurity maintenance is just as vital as having a good strategy in the first place, so let’s take a look at what that means.
- Continually educate your team: This is the most essential secure remote access protocol you can implement. Providing regular cybersecurity training ensures your team understands the risks and consequences of potential threats. Focus on areas like phishing attacks and other vulnerabilities to keep your business protected. In addition to verbal meetings, write everything down. A written protocol will be easier to reference when needed.
- Updates: Tech updates ensure you have the latest cybersecurity tools at your fingertips. Updates emphasizing security patches are especially important to maintain. In addition to keeping everything updated, revisit your policies and keep those updated.
- Antivirus software: While this isn’t the be-all and end-all, investing in reputable, solid antivirus software is always smart. An antivirus on your company’s computers will add another layer of protection against cyber threats.
- Limit user access: You’ll have to plan accordingly, but limiting how many users at a time can access business resources remotely minimizes the risk of security threats. This strategy requires planning, but it can cut your risk significantly. Schedule your remote workers in a staggered way if you can. Or, simply limit the number of remote tools each user can access. For instance, someone doesn’t need access to a tool if they don’t normally do the job the tool is for.
- Have a plan: Cybersecurity is an ever-changing field. Unfortunately, your data could get breached even with the best practices and prevention strategies. The best thing you can do is consider how to address the breach. Also, keep in mind how you’ll disclose it to your customers. Make it clear to your team what the plan is should the worst happen.
Implementing these best practices may be intimidating, so breaking them down into steps can be easier. Starting with the discussion stage and working from there will help clarify your business needs. Then, you can strategize your plan and pick out the necessary software.
Shifting to a more secure system will be well worth the time it took to get there!
Conclusion
Tackling cybersecurity practices for your remote team can give you a lot to think about. With the right tools, you can secure your remote access points and protect your business data. Don’t forget to maintain conversations about digital security with your remote team. This is especially true as advances and updates roll out.
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