How To Manage Remote Access Work From Anywhere

Remote work happened out of necessity, but it stayed because it was productive and enjoyable. Recruiters now are struggling because so many remote jobs attract too many applicants. Close to half of all workers are trying to find remote-first jobs and evade the office altogether. 

With summer already here, many employees will ask for the opportunity to work from anywhere. However, this is a downside for business owners because it introduces accessibility and security concerns. If you’re considering to continue with remote work, then you must adhere to some of the best practices. 

Set Permissions Correctly

First things first, you need to set user access permissions. Ensure that your employees only use the devices you gave them for the job and not their personal lives. If they do, that invites more security problems. Plus, the situation can only worsen because most remote workers can access more company data than they need. 

Here’s a situation that can happen. The front desk person shouldn’t be able to access invoices and personally identifiable information from a public network in a café. Geolocation restriction must be the first line of defense. If you’re based in the United States, the IP address trying to gain remote access must also be from the US. How to get US IP address is a different question. The easiest and simplest way is through a VPN. Plus, it protects and encrypts your data. Employees can also use proxies, but they lack the necessary security features. 

Maintain, Monitor, And Update

Every system becomes vulnerable over time. It might take a month or a year, but hackers will find a way to break in. That’s why you need to keep an eye on everything that has remote access. Every time a remote connection occurs, you need to get a notification and check in with the person logging in. 

If your home workers aren’t using VPNs (a major security flaw), you at least need to have their home IPs to check and see if any suspicious connections happen. The same thing goes for software installations, updates, and computer status. Outdated software is another easy target for hackers, which is why you need a system that has logs on updates, changes, file transfers, and sessions. However, this may add privacy issues, so using a trustworthy VPN is a better option.

Educate and Set Expectations

Every security system can fail due to human error. It’s the most unpredictable part of the chain, so you can’t fully prepare for it in advance. People make mistakes, which is why you need to educate them on their role and the risks in the cyber world. The better they get at noticing phishing attacks, suspicious links, and weird behavior, the better your cybersecurity culture will be. 

Your employees must know how to deal with sensitive data, trade secrets, and health records. Employers are responsible for providing tips on how to use personal devices correctly. Following the same tips at home ensures a safer environment for everyone. More than half of all breaches happen due to malware or phishing directly attributed to human error. Think of your employees as the first and last line of defense in the cybersecurity chain. 

Collaboration and Communication

Having a team that’s sprinkled around the globe creates issues in communication and collaboration. You need to have a unified time when most people will be online and using the right tools. The team can’t communicate on Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp. The conversations must be end-to-end encrypted and allow for team messaging. 

Many companies opt for email, but that doesn’t allow the instant communication you need to resolve problems and work more effectively. Videoconferencing works well, but if the entire team isn’t there to see the new plan or solution, you just waste time for nothing. Using apps like Slack is usually the industry standard. 

File Sharing and Storage

In an office, file sharing happens almost instantly, even for large files. You grab an external hard drive and transfer a file to another device. Online, it’s a bit more difficult because you depend on the upload and download speed of the connection. Cloud storage is the best option because everyone can transfer files without using email, and some solutions allow multiple people to work on the same file at the same time. 

Project Management

Excellent project management is essential for remote teams. Since most people won’t be online at the same time, the only measure of progress will be tasks. Managers need to set reasonable deadlines, coordinate teams, and assign tasks in a single platform. That way, the entire team will know what’s urgent and what needs to be worked on. This also aids communication because collaborating allows you to add comments on boards, update milestones, and stay on track. 

Video Calls

Google Meet, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams will become your new best friends. Without an office, you’ll have to use video calls for real-time communication. It’s a level below an in-person meeting, but it gets the job done. You can share screens, demonstrate and talk through processes visually, and even record the sessions. Team building events won’t be the same as physical ones, but you can still host a few virtual events to combat the loneliness that comes with working remotely.