With remote work becoming a popular option among businesses, it raises important questions about network security, particularly around the Wi-Fi connections employees rely on at home. Just as in the office, these networks need to be properly secured to protect your business.
Let’s review how your employees can continue working remotely while maintaining the security standards you expect. This starts with a few key practices for their home networks:
Use Password Best Practices
It doesn’t matter that a home network is different from a business network, as password best practices are largely universal. When setting credentials for a home network, make sure the usual standards apply across your team. Here are three things that can help keep Wi-Fi secure:
- Make sure passwords are sufficiently complex, avoiding common phrases and predictable patterns. Lists of the most popular (and therefore most insecure) passwords are widely available online, and certain shortcuts show up consistently. Avoid them entirely.
- Consider using a passphrase instead of a password. A strong passphrase combines random, unrelated words, and relying on one can boost account resilience exponentially while remaining easier to remember than a string of special characters.
- Change your network access password regularly and avoid sharing it. Most people don’t need access to your internet connection, so don’t hand it out freely.
Keep Your Setup Up to Date
Many people don’t think to update their networking equipment until things start working poorly. However, for employees accessing company resources remotely, keeping tools fully optimized and secured is essential. A few pointers:
- Install a firewall and antivirus. While these protections are standard on professional networks and workstations, a home device may not have adequate coverage. Verify what each team member currently has in place and help them upgrade if needed. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) should always be active when accessing company resources from outside the office.
- Adjust hardware settings. It is likely that employees have not updated their networking hardware or enabled the most secure configurations. Walk your team through changing the default SSID on their router and disabling features like remote management, which can otherwise create an unnecessary entry point for attackers.
- Make sure all software is fully patched and updated. Whether employees use company-issued devices or their own equipment, confirm that proper security tools are installed and current. This includes the programs they use for work as well as the software managing their devices, including wireless router firmware, antivirus, and firewall applications.
Your employees should carry the same computing best practices enforced in the office over to their home work environments.
Strengthen Your Remote Work Security Strategy With WheelHouse IT
Securing home Wi-Fi is a critical first step, but protecting a remote workforce requires a layered approach. From BYOD security policies to endpoint monitoring and compliance management, WheelHouse IT helps businesses across South Florida and New York implement the solutions needed to keep remote teams protected.
Ready to take a proactive approach to your network security? Reach out to our team today:
- Florida: (954) 474-2204
- New York: (516) 536-5006
