With many people heeding the advice of healthcare professionals, and seeking self-isolation for a period of time, there arises some questions for businesses. Life must go on despite the limitations imposed on us. For those with the option to do so, many are choosing to work from home. By doing so, we are moving our secure information with us, and keeping up with security continues to be a big concern.

While your work place most likely has procedure and security in place for information security, you may not necessarily have the same set up at home on such short notice. So what can you do to keep information safe while protecting your health? As it turns out, there’s a fair bit you can do.

Information Security At Home

Cyber Security

For starters, since the majority of working from home will involve computers, we will start here. As you are most likely working from your personal computer, start by having a good password to lock it. Chances are, no one is going to log onto your own computer, but it’s better not to take chances.

If you are using wi-fi instead of a wired connection, make sure it is encrypted. A strong, unguessable password, will help prevent anyone from just hopping on and monitoring your data use. Another good step is naming your wi-fi something that can not be immediately traced back to you. For example: don’t name it after yourself, or your address.

Keep a good anti-malware/anti-virus program running on your computer, and utilize a firewall to prevent attacks on your system. Should anything try and come at your system from the web, a good firewall will help to deflect the attack. Anti-virus/anti-malware programs will help to contain and remove any harmful files/programs that may infiltrate your computer.

When you are between working hours, at night for example, a good idea is to shut the computer right down. By leaving it on all the time, you are leaving connections open to it, connections that could be exploited. By shutting the power right off, no connections can be made to your machine.

While cyber security can be a complicated business and there are many things you can do, taking a few precautions will protect you. When everything is all said and done, don’t forget that you have had business data on your computer. When it gets old and it’s time to go, destroy your hard drives properly to ensure no data can be recovered.

Paper Record Security

If you are printing lots of records for your files while working at home, don’t forget that you are still required to follow compliance regulations. If you are retaining them, keep them stored in a secure manner. A locked safe that’s kept out of sight would be best, but a lockable file cabinet, or desk drawer can work for the short term.

When you need to dispose of paper records, do not be tempted to use your home paper shredder. They do not meet the requirements for paper shredding that a real industrial grade shredder does. This leaves the potential that documents could be reconstructed.

Just about every real certified paper shredder offers on site options for residents and businesses. These services will come right to your location, and shred right at your door. For those implementing social distancing, we can easily accommodate your needs during the shredding process.

Remember that now is not a time to forget about your information responsibilities, and you can stay on top of it, even if you are at home in self-isolation.