How to maintain data security practices with employees starting to travel for summer vacation

Summer is here, and as more parts of the country open up, you can be sure your employees are eager to get out of town and enjoy their opportunity to travel. However, with travel comes a certain degree of risk on the data security front. You know that secure travel should be a top priority. But you need to make sure that your employees understand and know how to mitigate the risks. Remote access to digital files is important for teams often on the go. How employees access your remote networks matters too. Here are the most important preventative measures your team can take to maintain data security while traveling.  

Audit and Update All Anti-Virus Software  

One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself on the road is making sure your anti-virus software and security updates are current. This will help ensure that your devices are free from pre-existing malware or viruses prior to leaving town. Additionally, consider clearing your web history and cookies before leaving town. Cookies and browsing history are easily accessed when on a public wifi network and can provide hackers with information that could be used in fraudulent transactions.  

Encourage Careful Browsing 

When traveling and using unfamiliar or unsecured internet connections, try to any potentially sensitive online activities, including online shopping, banking, or confidential work. If you must do one of the above actions, only use secure sites that begin with https://Interestingly enough, it’s well worth considering using your mobile network connection rather than a public wireless network to do any necessary shopping or banking online. Mobile networks are still generally considered to be more secure than public networks.  

Beware of Unfamiliar Hotspots  

While it is certainly tempting to use public hotspots when traveling, they are best avoided when doing business. Banking and shopping while on an unfamiliar and unsecured internet connection can result in stolen credit card information, account information, or other losses of data security. Public wifi hotspots are notoriously vulnerable to hackers and may even be created with the purpose of giving hackers easy access to unsuspecting users’ computers.

So before connecting to a public hotspot such as those available on airplanes, at airports, hotels, or in a café, make sure that the name of the network and login procedures are in line with what you expect from the location. This is to confirm that the network is legitimate. For example, if you connect to a network that does not require a password but the café requires customers to make a purchase prior to using the wifi, chances are that the network is not safe.   

Back Up Everything 

Equally important to your data security is taking the time to back up your files. This makes any loss of data while traveling only temporarily inconvenient. You’ll have access to what you need as soon as you are back in the office. Damage to devices is far more likely to occur when traveling. So make sure you save the important information from your hardware in a safe place, just in case.  

Happy Faces Records Management offers a wide range of data protection services, including digital archiving. Give the team a call to ensure your data security while your team is out for summer. 

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