Your Workforce Is Remote and You Have In-House Servers. Now What?

In the past several years, remote working has become increasingly popular. But right now, due to the current need to stay safe at home, a remote network is crucial. Many businesses have had to transition to working out of their own homes, and staying in touch via an online connection has become necessary.

That’s why it’s absolutely critical to set up a remote connection properly. Security needs to be paramount right now, due to the amount of threat actors out there that are looking to take advantage of weak points left open in business networks that are moving to a remote working setup. This is especially true for businesses who normally rely on in-house servers to access data and are now looking for secure ways to do so.

Here’s how you can properly set up a remote network to ensure secure access to in-house servers from your employee’s remote devices:

Ensure Any Device on which You’re Accessing Resources Is Secure

Before setting up a secure network to access your in-house servers, make sure your devices have multiple layers of security to protect data from being compromised. This means having active and updated BYOD policies in place for employees working from home. Data should also be managed by security protections including encryption and multifactor authentication to ensure only the right people are accessing files.

These security measures need to be implemented from top to bottom to ensure security at all levels, especially when your workforce is working in separate physical locations on different Internet connections. After all, a recent survey found that 59% of 202 enterprise companies only shared cybersecurity concerns with top level executives. Not only this, but 63% of their employees did not even think to use multi factor authentication. 

Ensure Each Employee Is Using a Stable Connection at Home

Each employee should also be working with a secure and stable WiFi connection that can maintain a strong signal at all times. There needs to be a reasonable upload speed, as well as a reliable download speed. Stability in online connectivity helps prevent data loss that can occur when using collaborative online tools to share and edit documents. 

Set Up a VPN with the Help of a Provider Who Offers Managed IT Services

Once you have implemented these security measures, a managed IT services provider can help you set up a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN is currently one of the most valuable resource for businesses who normally rely on in-house servers to store and access data as it allows employees to securely access that data without being onsite. It acts as a private network connection that maintains your security protocol (such as data encryption and required authorizations) without putting any of your data in a public storage space such as the cloud.

Seeing as the VPN market will be worth $50 billion by 2024, VPN has become a highly valuable resource for several businesses. But it’s wisest to work with a professional who can implement your network properly.

Use a Remote Desktop Server

Finally, you may consider implementing Remote Desktop Services. You won’t need a company computer for this, which makes them perfect for extended remote working. When using almost any computer, you can open up a connection to your Remote Desktop Server and access a company desktop from anywhere. 

You may need to make some changes to your router, which can be accessed from your own desktop, as long as it’s connected to the Internet. Specifically, you’re going to need to work on your router’s port forwarding option. However, it might take some time to go through this process on your own, so be sure to ask your IT provider about this. They should be able to walk you through your port forwarding set up. 

At a time like this, when it’s key for a company to be online at all times, safety and security is paramount. In order to set up a secure connection when working remotely, it’s important to work with a professional to establish security measures and take advantage of the resources listed above. With these tools, your business can weather the storm of this global pandemic and come out the other side thriving.