How Working from Home Could Cause Security Problems

With the global pandemic of Covid 19 wreaking havoc throughout the world, many of us in the UK have had to adapt the way we work to comply with Government guidelines – by working from home we reduce our transport and help to stop the spread of the virus. But to those of us that are not used to working from home, this can create many new challenges. One of the main challenges that companies, and employees need to be mindful of at this time is the importance of data protection.

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When working from home there are a number of ways that normal company procedures on data protection can be breached. In an office, for example, devices and software will be protected by a firewall and data will all be stored securely. Once employees begin to work from home, they lose this security. For example, working from a computer that is shared by other family members, already poses significant security risks.

Another problem with the current situation is that taking phone calls, which often contain confidential information or may include discussions of sensitive topics or financial details. With the schools being closed too, this means that the whole family will be at home, so speaking on the phone and maintaining confidentiality can be difficult and needs to be considered and planned carefully.

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Documents of a sensitive nature are also all too easy to leave lying around at home which is a huge breach of confidentiality. It is a good idea to use a confidential shredding service to dispose of any of these documents, don’t be tempted to throw them in the bin with the general household rubbish!

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