As a work at home professional, it goes without saying that you have to act as your own IT department at times. While you may have access to the resources provided by your employer, since you work remotely there will be times when you feel as if you’re on an island. Although you can solve some issues without professional help, this doesn’t always hold true. If you find yourself facing a serious problem, don’t hesitate to consult with your employer or a third party IT provider.
Online Security Tips for Work at Home
When it comes to online security, there are things you need to know if you’ll be working from home (even on a part-time basis). Here are three tips that you should always keep in mind:
- Don’t write down important information. This isn’t to say that your family is going to steal important data and use it against you. However, you never know who will be in your house. For example, if your home is broken into, you don’t want somebody to gain access to important information regarding your company. So, if you need to store passwords or other important data, be sure that you have a safe way of doing so. This may seem like overkill, but it’s a good business practice for work at home professionals.
- Don’t leave your computer unattended. If you have any reason to believe that somebody in your home could access your computer without permission, such as a contractor or housekeeper, make sure you “put it to sleep” before leaving your office. This way, even if somebody attempts to use your computer they will need a password to gain access.
- Don’t use personal devices for work. This is something you need to discuss with your employer. Are you permitted to use your personal smartphone or tablet for business? If the answer is no, don’t attempt to work around this. There is a reason why many companies don’t want people using personal devices to access their business email and other important accounts and information. You should respect this.
There is no denying the fact that there are many benefits of working at home. For example, this gives you the opportunity to spend more time with your loved ones. Along with this, you don’t have to waste time and money commuting to and from the office.
Conversely, you need to focus some of your time and effort on security. Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean you can overlook the importance of implementing a sound security strategy. For example, it only takes one mistake for a hacker to gain access to your computer or email account.
Conclusion
Work at home professionals should follow these online security tips. It doesn’t take much time or energy to implement these tips and better understand how to prevent trouble in the future.
We mentioned it above, but it’s worth saying again. If you have any reason to believe that you’re facing a security concern, you need to report this to your employer to ensure that you take the right steps in finding a solution.
Do you work from home? What do you think about these online security tips? Would you add any others to the list? Share your thoughts and advice in the comment section below. You may be able to help other work at home professionals prevent a serious security related issue.