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3 Cyber Security Tips When Working Remote

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Remote working can be a blessing. More time spent with the family, less time commuting and sitting through meetings from the comfort of your own home. But as companies across Australia continue to offer flexible work environments to prevent the spread to COVID-19, it is important to understand the security and privacy risks that both the business and employees may encounter.

Employees who are usually protected by corporate networks are working from much less secure locations, and cybercriminals have used COVID-19 as an opportunity. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASCS) has seen a significant increase in Australians being targeted with COVID-19 related scams, and advised everyone to stay aware and up-to-date. To help you get started, here are three things you could do to protect both your employees and the business.

Implement multi-factor authentication

According to the Australian Government, multi-factor authentication (MFA) is considered to be one of the most effective controls you can implement to prevent unauthorised access to computers, applications and online services. Using multiple layers of authentication makes it much more challenging to access your systems.

Multi-factor authentication can use a combination of:

  • Something the user knows, whether it be a passphrase, PIN or an answer to a secret question
  • Something the user physically possesses such as a card, token or a security key
  • Something the user inherently possesses such as a fingerprint or retina pattern.
Update your software & operating systems

Often software updates for operating systems and applications are developed to address security issues. Updates often include new security features that protect your data and device. Quite often cybercriminals take advantage of software vulnerabilities in common applications like operating systems and browsers.

Here are some best practices when it comes to software and operating system updates:

  • Stay current: software vendors release updates regularly and many of them relate to important security issues. Appoint someone to be in charge of staying on top of these updates.
  • Keep up with regular maintenance tasks: appoint someone to be in charge of keeping software licenses up to date and keeping software current.
  • Automate what you can: this will lessen the burden in the long run.
  • Back up everything: if you experience any crashes while updating you’ll be glad you did.
Outsource a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP)… like us!

Managed IT Services are a subscription-based outsourcing of IT systems management for businesses, which also includes the management of other IT processes and functions intended to improve business operations and reduce costs.

The goal of managed IT services is to help your business run more effectively by transferring the burden of managing and maintaining your IT software, hardware and environment to us—the managed IT service provider. As your IT managed service provider we then maintain responsibility for the day-to-day maintenance, upkeep and functionality of your IT service, equipment and overall infrastructure, as well as any short or long-term IT strategy and expansion.

Partnering with an MSP offers many benefits to your business. Some of these include:

  • Minimised downtime and cost reductions: with 24/7 proactive monitoring of your IT systems, we’re able to identify and address any issues before they cause damage, interruptions to your business or financial loss.
  • Security: with over 43% of cyber attacks targeting small to medium businesses, it’s vital vulnerability assessments, threat management and secure user access and verification become a commonplace for your business. We’re always working with leading technology vendors and testing the latest world-class technology, tools, systems and security to deliver the best and safest IT solutions.
  • Peace of mind knowing that no matter where you are or what issue arises, you have skilled professional IT experts in your corner who are prepared and ready to help you.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses continue to adapt to the fast-changing environment and develop strategies to protect their business and staff from cyber attacks. Here at eStorm, we encourage Australians to remain vigilant and to review your current strategies to ensure you incorporate cyber security measures.

If you’d like to learn more about outsourcing your IT or Managed Services, or have questions about Network Security, get in touch today by emailing [email protected] or calling (07) 3120 0640.

Office 365 supports your business to work remote

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In these ever-changing times, the ability for an organisation to adapt and change is what will allow you to stand out from competitors, continue to serve customers, and ensure you maintain momentum. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing more and more businesses prepare for social distancing by setting up their systems to allow for remote work and collaboration. At eStorm, we’ve been supporting our customers to ensure they are set-up and using Office 365 to its full potential.

Whether working on a PC, Mac or mobile device from home or in the office, Office 365 is providing workplaces with the tools to continue driving efficiency and productivity. Here are just a few ways Office 365 can support your business in working remotely:

Real-time collaboration

For businesses to continue operating and supporting customers, collaboration on projects and tasks needs to continue. Office 365 provides multiple tools to ensure collaboration doesn’t stop when teams are working remotely. The Microsoft Office suite most of you are used to gives you the ability to have more than one person working on a Word document or Excel file at the same time, and be able to see each other’s work — great for collaboration.

To take it to the next level, there are also a number of newer tools such as SharePoint, Skype for Business and Teams — all designed to help your organisation achieve its goals and provide greater opportunities for workplaces when working remotely.

Teams

Teams is a Microsoft Office 365 tool that allows you to keep your teams communicating, collaborating and working together no matter what location they’re in! The Teams tool is used by businesses to support teams of all sizes, from small teams of 2-5, to large teams of 20-30, even to bigger groups of 100+. No matter the size of your team, Teams provides a great option for organising projects and getting the right people together to have conversations and meetings.

Teams also works as a way of recording and tracking conversations, and offers an easy format for online meetings and chat sessions. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen more and more businesses take advantage of Teams to ensure they are delivering projects, communicating in a timely manner and continuing to achieve their organisation’s goals.

Microsoft is currently offering a free version of Teams during the COVID-19 pandemic — learn more about the free version and speak to us about how we can support you to set-up Teams today.

A simple tip for your employees when using Teams to facilitate group chats while working remote — if you’re somewhere with a distracting background, there is a handy little ‘background blur’ tool to help reduce distraction and keep teammates focused.

Secure Cloud file storage

Office 365 also allows your team to access files from anywhere, in a secure and safe manner. The cloud-based storage, OneDrive, provides global accessibility and real-time collaboration to support your business in working both in-house and remote as needed. It allows for full visibility, control and collaboration for internal and external stakeholders, as you can easily share documents and control who can view and edit each file. 

Microsoft Office 365 also offers enterprise solutions when it comes to ensuring your business’s documents and work stays secure. Its collection of threat-protection technologies helps protect against spam, malware, viruses, phishing attempts, malicious links, and other cyber threats to your business.

Continuation of business

The huge benefit of Office 365 to businesses is that it offers an easy way to continue ‘business as usual’ no matter what challenges may come your way. The tools are there to help your teams collaborate, plan workflows and tasks, and manage projects. With Office 365, your business can continue to meet its goals and deliver services/products to your customers. 

Need help to get your business working remote using Office 365?

At eStorm, we offer Office 365 support and troubleshooting, as well as deliver general IT Managed Services. What does that mean exactly? With a wide range of plans, deployment options and services, our IT experts can get your business set up and working efficiently in no-time. With access to the latest information and deals on offer, our team is here to support you during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future.