As we all know, working from home is something many of us have got on board with over the last couple of years. The advances of technology now offer us the capabilities to thoroughly get work done as though you were in your office at work.

Although, with you being in your own home, it is easy to fall into a routine of leaving vital information out in the open because of the ‘unlikeliness’ of any data breaches. Yes, working from home may have a huge amount of benefits in terms of lifestyle, but you’re still dealing with potentially sensitive data and real security requirements. Having the freedom to define your own schedule and working environment doesn’t mean you can afford to let security standards slide.

Following on from last weeks tips here are another couple to keep you safe.

WEEK 2

4. Keep your computer password protected

This may be a logical tip for keeping your devices protected, but this goes further than just your typical password to log on to your device. Keeping sensitive data in files on your computer is just as risky as writing them down and leaving the note on your desk. What is advised is to keep the highly sensitive data in a digital file that can only be accessed with yet another password. Changing your passwords every month or so is also ideal, just to be on the safe side.

When it comes to passwords being entered to access online sites, you should be even more cautious. Internet apps such as Google Chrome have a feature that can save your passwords after the first time they are entered. As much as this is handy for your personal information, the feature can be risky for work related websites that hold all of your sensitive information.

5. Keep work and personal devices separate

As much of a hassle as it is to have two of everything, keeping your work and personal devices separate is key to withholding sensitive work-related data. It may be difficult to use a separate phone for all of your business calls, but you should definitely consider keeping all other work and personal devices separate, such as your laptop, PC or tablet.

It’s also important to keep family and friends from using your home office, especially without your presence. Lending a friend your laptop for a few hours may not seem like a big deal at the time, but you never know what private files might be accessed or if a virus may be picked up during the short period of time of them having your device.