Keep Company Information Safe When You Travel With These Tips

Information security is probably at the top of your mind when you’re in the office. Serious threats, like hacking attempts in 2020, can leave your information vulnerable, while malware can compromise your systems.

Hopefully, you have a plan in place to keep everything safe and secure when you’re at your desk, but can you say the same of your company information when you’re traveling? Security is often an afterthought when you and your employees are on the road, which can be extremely dangerous if you travel for work often.

There are ways you can keep everything safe and secure without compromising the amount of time you spend doing work or what information you access while you’re away from the office.

Get Your Passwords Under Control

You probably already understand the importance of creating secure passwords, but there’s a lot about passwords you probably don’t know. What you don’t know could be putting your business at risk of being accessed by hackers when you’re on the road.

First, never allow your web browser to save your passwords. It’s true that saving passwords can be extremely convenient, and it can save you time, but those passwords are potentially easy to view without authentication. That means anyone may be able to see them at any time, and it only takes one person to cause a lot of trouble for your business.

You may also need to activate passwords where you haven’t had passwords before. That might include your phone or mobile devices, but it may also include USB and other external hardware.

Turn off Automatic Connecting Capabilities

Most computers and devices are set up to make using the internet on the go easy. They will automatically connect to the closest Wi-Fi network without any need for you to do anything. However, you don’t know who could be lurking on those networks.

Provide yourself with more control by turning off your devices’ Bluetooth capabilities and disable any other auto-connect features. You can still connect to Wi-Fi. You will just have more control over which Wi-Fi networks you use so you can keep your information safe.

Use Public Wi-Fi Carefully

Public Wi-Fi is what makes doing work on the go so easy, so you don’t want to have to give it up. However, it is very risky, so you have to be careful whenever you utilize a different network.

The risks of using public Wi-Fi include:

• You could accidentally log into a rogue network that is disguised to look authentic
• Your information could be intercepted by a third party
• Malware can be installed on your computer by someone else
• Passwords and usernames could be uncovered by a hacker

The solution is to use a virtual private network (VPN) when you’re using unfamiliar Wi-Fi connections. It uses encryption and authenticated connections that make it much more difficult for important information to be accessed by hackers.

Don’t have a VPN? It’s better to forgo using public Wi-Fi you don’t trust.

Run Regular Security Checks

It’s important to run regular security checks on your computer. Hopefully, checks are engaged automatically according to a schedule when you’re in the office, but they should also be performed when you’re on the road.

Stick to your regular schedule of security checks, but make sure you run an in-depth check of your systems before you return to the office. In addition to your normal malware and virus checks, you should test your computer settings, other program, and app settings, and test your firewall. A more in-depth check is a great way to make sure you don’t bring anything bad back to the office.

Use a Privacy Screen

Sometimes, the best solutions also happen to be the simplest. It is important to follow the other tips on this list, but you can greatly enhance your security by purchasing a simple privacy filter.

A privacy filter sits on top of your computer screen. It makes it impossible to view the information on your computer from any angle other than from right in front of the screen where you’re sitting. It can prevent wandering eyes from learning confidential information just by peeking over your shoulder.

Want even more security? You can purchase these privacy screens for mobile devices too!

Don’t accidentally put your business at risk because you didn’t consider security the last time you were on the road. You can keep working when you’re away from the office with confidence when you protect your business’s information with these tips.