Michelle Drolet is CEO of Towerwall, a woman-owned, highly focused cybersecurity services company based in Framingham. You may reach her at michelled@towerwall.com.
Updated: June 8, 2020
10 things
10 Things I know about ... Working from home
By Michelle Drolet
10) Zooming out. Video conferencing is a two-edged sword; while a boon to nurture group discussion, the degree of focus paid to a small screen while feeling self-conscious (how’s my hair?) can oversaturate users. People are now reporting Zoom fatigue, citing anxiety. Identify mental health and grief counsellors who can step in during these COVID-19 times.
9) Keep the divide between work life and family life, despite both often occurring in the same place. A separation of duties helps prevent accidental disclosure or leaking of sensitive data, but just as importantly it helps maintain a sane balance.
8) Work vs. home. Keep devices used for home chores like online shopping and gaming, separate from work-related devices, which should avoid public WiFi, be password protected or biometrically secured, and locked down when not in use.
7) Password control. Should key security personnel be MIA, do you know where your enterprise passwords are stored? Many companies and people are turning to LastPass to control passwords, to finally shut down this most obvious of security gaps.
6) Educate remote workers of the sudden jump in COVID-related phishing scams and share news on cybersecurity threats to keep issues top of mind. Train your people how to identify social engineering tactics and re-share your company’s risk management policies.
5) Inform remote workers not to download company data to personal or USB devices. Some companies make it a rule prohibiting employees from lending out company-owned laptops or equipment. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security cautions against use of remote thumb drives.
4) Depend on VPN. A reliable virtual private network with solid encryption is the most basic requirement for your remote people. This allows creation of a secure tunnel between the corporate network and remote user-access devices.
3) Reinforce security policies. Working from home means unlimited distractions from kids, TV, pets, cooking & cleaning, making all of us more prone to fall for social engineering and phishing attempts. Remind workers to be skeptical of urgent financial requests (most likely bogus).
2) Virtual water cooler. Social isolation takes a toll on everyone, especially parents at home with children. Communicate regularly and check in. Set up informal lunch breaks or run group events to help everyone stay engaged and motivated.
1) Create a safe space. While a basement office may not be ideal, what’s important is it’s your own private workspace affording solitude. Yet even at home, try to avoid leaving computers and mobile devices unsecured.
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