During the time when business has to let their employees work from home, telecommuting is a good option to sustain business continuity. However, what to prepare if you are new to this?
Despite the topic being a widespread one in the recent years, many companies are still new to this method. Consequently, many of them oftentimes set their telecommuting incorrectly.
Indifferent from other things, implementing telecommuting without any thorough preparations will pose companies to tons of risks. Another thing to remember is that, during the rising trial of telecommuting and remote working, irresponsible parties’ activities might escalate as well to make us of the opportunity.
Several disastrous risks that might follow are data breach, data theft, phising, ransomware attacks, and so forth. Accordingly, each of this risks might cost companies billions.
That said, it is very possible to mitigate the danger and the risks. Below are several things companies can prepare if they are new to telecommuting.
Also Read: Business Misconceptions about Telecommuting
Use Company-owned Telecommuting Starter Packs
Company-owned starter packs refer to any hardware, equipment or device, and software provided and authorized by the company. Accordingly, these tools should also employ standardized security protection to help protect data even during remote use.
Among the preparations are laptops, if possible, antivirus and other security protection devices, and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and Slack. If possible, every telecommuting employee should avoid using private devices and software, including personal emails and so forth.
Make the Use of VPN and Company Portal a Necessity
Company’s data are confidential, thus protecting it at all cost is the duty of all company members. Especially, if you are currently telecommuting, the responsibility doubles.
To enable secure access to company’s data without using the company’s internal LAN at the office, employees should always use the company’s VPN. Also, upon executing any data transfer, employees should always use company-owned portals to prevent unauthorized third parties from gaining accesses too.
Regulate Special Policies for Conducting Telecommuting
Upon working at home, employees should follow special regulations suitable for the situation. These regulations, furthermore, should differ from the ones applied during in-house working.
For example, companies can ask their employees to have internal department conference calls every morning to discuss what they plan to work on at that day. By doing this, companies will be able to closely monitor their employees and ensure their efficient performance.
Also Read: Biggest Remote Working Trial Initiated by Coronavirus