Summer is synonymous with vacation and relaxation, but small business (SMB) owners can’t afford to let their employees and cybersecurity take a break. Statistics show that 43% of cyberattacks target SMBs.It highlights the constant threat regardless of the season.Recovering from a cyberattack is expensive. Small businesses spend an average of $955,000 per attack to restore normal operations.
If you run a hybrid or fully remote SMB, plan to close your office or have employees travel for the summer, there are a few important things to consider.
Benefits of a Hybrid Work Environment
We’ve written a lot about the benefits of a hybrid work environment. The ability to work remotely has been a huge help to both employees and SMB owners. A remote work environment can significantly reduce the cost of living for employees and reduce energy costs for businesses.
But another big benefit is that employees have more control over their work-life balance, meaning they can work while traveling if they want (and have more control over their workday, which studies have shown can lead to higher productivity).
But despite all the benefits, hybrid work environments present additional hurdles to overcome, especially when it comes to cybersecurity.
How to protect your data when working remotely
Hackers are fully aware that small businesses may not have the resources of larger companies, which can make them easy targets. This includes having safety protocols in place for employees to implement in the office, best practices to follow when working remotely, and providing the best technology to both office and remote workers to securely and fully access the network.
Safety starts at home… at the office
When employees are away from the office, there are some best practices to follow to keep their equipment and company data safe while they are away.
- Termination Policy When employees leave equipment (e.g., work computers, digital work devices, company phones, etc.) behind, you should ensure that the equipment is locked and properly turned off. If someone accesses work equipment, it is likely that no one will notice until they return from vacation, and systems and data could be exposed for several days.
- Scan all endpoints and servers If you expect to have many employees on vacation, such as during the summer, you can protect against potential threats. Both the server and the connected devices (endpoints) can access company data. It is an important best practice to check both to make sure they have the latest security updates enabled. Also check for malware or other vulnerabilities that could provide unauthorized access to data while everyone is away. Again, the more employees that are out of the office, the longer it will take for someone to notice that a system has been compromised. By then, hackers can do more damage without being detected.
CYA: Protect Your Assets
Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you can neglect protecting your systems.
- Managed Service Provider (MSP) Provide remote IT protection to help you manage and secure your systems while you’re away. There’s been a huge shift toward MSPs over the past few years, and for good reason. With data breaches expected to increase 72% between 2021 and 2023, the need for dedicated remote IT protection is growing, whether your office is open or closed.
- Multifactor Authentication (MFA) Another important requirement is when your employees are on vacation. MFA provides an additional layer of protection and should always be implemented, but especially when they are away from the office. It’s important to ensure that all employees have MFA enabled on their network-connected devices, especially if you plan on logging in while on vacation. If your employees leave their phones or work computers at the hotel, you want to make it harder for hackers to access your systems. Products like Cisco Duo provide zero-trust MFA protection for all devices, so you can rest assured that you have the best remote SMB security.
Ensure productivity at home and beyond
For employees who want to work while on vacation, they need to be able to securely access the network and collaborate with people in the office when they need to.
Having a reliable video service for meetings and remote brainstorming is a fantastic way to stay productive remotely, but these services also need to be top-notch secure. Collaboration tools like Cisco’s Webex provide end-to-end protection with zero-trust encryption to ensure meetings remain confidential. Webex ensures that only employees have access to messages and recordings on the system.
Everyone needs a vacation now and then, but unfortunately network security can’t (take a break like an employee). Cisco offers a wide range of digital tools and devices to keep your SMB network stable and secure. Contact a Cisco expert today. Our team will help you find the right combination of tools and services to keep your SMB safe wherever life takes you.
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