How to Stay Secure When Working the Move - Part 2

Having discussed why it is vital that business information is kept safe and the measures that should be used to do so whilst using wireless networks on the move, the second part of this article focuses on the other security tactics that mobile workers can employ.

Portable Storage

Portable devices which are used as storage and for transmitting sensitive information between locations, such as portable hard drives, memory sticks or even CDs and DVDs, should always be encrypted and require a password to un-encrypt. Some of the highest profile data leaks in recent years have occurred when such devices have fallen into the wrong hands and it easy to make a mistake by misplacing a portable device but harder to justify not securing it in the first place.

Laptops

As with portable storage, the first step to staying secure is to ensure access to your laptop is password protected. With modern security you can even use advanced techniques with biometric security measures such as finger print recognition/scanners to ensure that only the specified owner can access the laptop and its contents.

It is also vital that your laptop, as with all PCs, has a firewall in place, to prevent unsolicited access from the outside world, and up to date anti-virus software installed (running regular scans) to prevent and detect any malware trying to access information on your device.

Moreover, it is advisable that printer sharing is disabled, as this can present a vulnerability which hackers can then exploit, whilst local folders on the laptop should only be shared (i.e., have status of shared) if they really need to be (because shared folders will become visible to anyone on the network who can see your PC). As with portable devices, individual partitions, folders or files can be encrypted to provide a final layer of security. Although this can be laborious to set up and use, it is essential if you have sensitive data which could be at risk from prying eyes.

Mobile Phones

More and more business is being conducted on mobile phones than ever before and the widespread adoption and even popularisation of smartphones means that vast numbers of employees now have the capability to work effectively on the move wherever they are. With the array of new smartphone functions and the shear amount of sensitive business and personal communication that is conducted through them, the risk of information leaks has increased however. Again, the first security step, in case the phone is misplaced, is to set up a passcode lock so that the phone locks itself when inactive and then requires a passcode to unlock. As with portable storage devices, mobile phones are perhaps easier to lose than bulkier laptops and tablets, while the fact that they are used more often in all parts of peoples lives, both business and personal, means it is even more advisable that smartphones are not used to store sensitive business information unless absolutely necessary.