Returning to the Office – a Cyber Security Checklist

It’s been almost six months since lockdown began, and things are slowly getting back to the way they were before the coronavirus pandemic. Many businesses have had their employees working from home since March, but are now encouraging them to return to the office. 

If you’re one of the organisations doing just that, you presumably have various measures in place to ensure the health and wellbeing of your staff. But do you have the same measures in place for cyber security?

Cyber security is something that has frequently been overlooked during this pandemic, but it’s important to be aware of the cyber risks associated with a return to the office. To help, we’ve created a checklist of things that can make the transition as smooth as possible, and ensure the safety and security of your network. 

1. Organise cyber security training for staff

Before the coronavirus pandemic, policies such as safe disposal of data, keeping files secure and the practice of safely connecting laptops to public networks would have been a regular topic of conversation in the work environment.

Now employees are returning to work, they will need reminding of the necessary security practices within the office environment. They should be prepared for the new threats that could emerge in the near future, which is why a refresher cyber security awareness course would be beneficial to your staff and your business. 

2. Scan and update workers’ devices upon their return

Of course, access to laptops and desktops has enabled a relatively easy switch from office to home for many employees. But whilst working from home, workers who haven’t had to connect to corporate networks through a VPN might not have received the updates that they usually would in the office. This might include the likes of OS, AV, app and GPO updates. 

Once those devices reconnect to the workplace network, they could be putting the organisation’s cyber security at risk. But how?

Because of a lack of updates, cybercriminals could be lying dormant on the laptops and desktops that are being used at home. Once these devices reconnect, the cybercriminals could potentially travel through the network and cause damage by releasing viruses and ransomware.

To combat this, we would recommend scanning devices before they reconnect internally, as well as setting up processes that can validate devices returning to the workplace network. 

3. Improve your cyber security practices

There has been a notable increase in the number of cyber attacks during the COVID pandemic, so use this as an opportunity to re-think your cyber security practices and patch up any issues.

ICT Solutions can help you with this. Security measures that we make use of include advanced firewalls, anti-virus software, anti-spam software as well as secure wifi with guest logins. 

We also offer bespoke cyber security services, so if you’re looking for advice on operating system updates and reconnecting devices upon your organisation’s return to the office, then we’re on hand to assist you. Get in touch with us today.