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.

Here are some tips we will give you over the next couple of weeks

WEEK 1

1. Start shredding

Even though the majority of us work digitally on a daily basis, there will always be a chance you have a good amount of paperwork hoarded on your desk or stored in lever arch files around the room. Having loose papers and documents surrounding your home office is straight away risking possible data breaches from identity thieves, as these papers could contain sensitive and confidential information regarding your company, clients, suppliers etc.

Unfortunately, getting rid of loose papers is not as easy as deleting a file on your computer, so if you haven’t already, it is advised to invest in a shredder. If you get yourself into the habit of regularly clearing out your files and disposing of it securely, you won’t have to worry about data thieves having physical copies of your sensitive information.

2. Protect your devices against viruses

Laptops, phones and even tablets will be used for work purposes by all of us on a day to day basis, but that doesn’t necessarily make your devices completely safe, whether you’re at home or at your work premises.

In most circumstances, the laptop or computer you are working on will have been setup with anti-virus software on the day of purchase, although this isn’t the case for every piece of technology. It might be an idea to check all your devices on a regular basis for any virus detections or if there is a chance the software will need upgrading anytime soon.

Remember even major tech companies have hit some major glitches in the past when it comes to security, so you can’t always trust that your devices are as safe as they seem.

3. Invest in a fireproof safe

When it comes to the end of a working day, whether we are working at home or at your work premises, it is easy to forget to securely put away important documents, flash drives, hard drives and even passwords. The best solution for storing these kind of devices is to put them in a fireproof safe, where only you and trusted sources have the key to access what is stored inside.

Using a safe not only keeps all of your devices in one place, it also protects them from data thieves or getting into the hands of the wrong person. In a household, it is easy to confuse hard drives and flash drives, and this could mean confidential data is at risk of getting lost or broken if it is not correctly labelled and stored where you have control.

Investing in a safe may not seem like a ‘must-have’ purchase, but it’s always better to play it safe than having to experience a tragedy and have all your data lost.