If your business is like most, at the very least your CEO at times has to do business while traveling, sometimes abroad. Chances are many more employees are working remotely and on the go which makes laptop security imperative.
3 Components of Laptop Security
Particularly for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) the costs to secure your company laptops is far less than the price you’ll have to pay if your network is breached. There are 3 crucial components to laptop security. As you institute these three security measures, remember that you must also get your employees on board for your plan to succeed.
1. Encryption
One of the best ways of ensuring laptop security outside of the office is to use encryption tools to lock up your sensitive data. When your employees are sending and receiving data that is connected to your network, encryption makes it harder for hackers to access that data.
The problem is that many employees will turn off their encryption tools if they feel that it impedes the speed with which they can access their files. For instance, if it takes too long for documents and files to download or upload because of encryption, your employees will unwittingly leave your network open to intruders if they bypass their encryption protections.
In order to combat this, you have to first use encryption tools that won’t hinder your employees’ productivity. And you have to enforce laptop security rules by making encryption bypass a policy violation.
2. A Strong Corporate Security Policy
Speaking of policy, if your employees don’t know the risks or the rules, how can they be expected to assist you in protecting your sensitive business data? Your corporate policy should clearly spell out the rules for ensuring security for all business devices, including company laptops.
That includes cell phones, tablets, and smart devices. Always keep secure backups in case of a network intrusion if or when your corporate security policy fails. If you are unsure where to start with the development of your corporate security policy, IT consulting services can help.
3. Wipe Data with Remote Access
Finally, you may be able to wipe company data from a company-owned laptop by performing a remote wipe of the device. But this does require some advanced preparation measures on your part. To remote wipe data, you will need to install software or an app on the device that allows you to access it remotely. And this is not always a fail-proof measure. Typically, the device would have to be connected to the internet to provide the access you need. A device that is not accessible leaves you vulnerable to data theft.
Protect Your Business Data and Your Budget
There are many conveniences to using modern technology to reduce costs and make work more efficient. So it makes sense that businesses, particularly SMBs, are employing much of their workforce remotely. Smaller businesses may not have the resources to ensure their laptop data is protected.
Outsourcing to an IT consulting company can slash the IT budgets for SMBs while giving you much better control over laptop security. At Enstep, we understand how important it is to keep your data safe. Contact us learn more about laptop security and how to minimize the risk of data theft.
