Now that restrictions are beginning to ease, and the promise of ‘normality’ is just around the corner, people all around the UK are beginning to make plans to return back to the office full time. But what does this mean for your business security?
July 19th, dubbed ‘freedom day’ is fast approaching and is likely to be a day in many people’s calendars. But as businesses and employees became more adept at working remotely we must now prepare for the cross over back into the office to be as smooth as possible.
Whether you are going back full time or working between locations, it is important to ensure that you are keeping in line with your business security policies, as after over a year away, we may all be a little rusty when it comes to office rules that have been put in place to keep your business protected.
Is your office ready for business?
Every business has a different approach to security, and how you choose to implement yours is your decision. Nevertheless, we wanted to provide some points to guide you into a seamless cross over;
- Prepare – do you have jobs that you’ve been putting off since working from home? Equipment in the office that doesn’t quite work the way it is designed to, or folders that don’t sync? Don’t leave them so long that they are going to hold you back, preparation now will save you lost working hours later, and may even make your daily job easier.
- Plan – problems are common, and sometimes unavoidable! If you have your suspicions or worries about something that will go wrong, prepare for your solution now. By anticipating your problems and having the right plans in place, you may save many work hours in the long run.
- Communicate – remember that you are not the only person who has been away from the office, and others may have concerns or plans that they can contribute to your smooth cross over. Do you need to re-connect with your staff, update people on your security policies, or even just jog peoples memories? Keeping your employees up to date with changes and updates to the business will boost morale and allow everyone to work their best.
- Documentation – it is time to save and organise those documents that you need, in a way where you will be able to find what you need, where you need it.
Preparing for success
Adapting the way you work may not only help keep you secure, but could also save you time and stress. Here are a few things to consider when it comes to your IT processes;
- The cloud allows you to save documents in a secure online environment, allowing you to securely share documents and access them from any device.
- Password managers are a smart way to store your passwords, even those that seem impossible to remember – throw away those post-its that are dotted around your desk, and keep the information in one secure place.
- Multifactor authentication gives you another layer of security when it comes to your accounts, it is widely available and a great way to ensure that you are the only person with access to your data
- SharePoint allows you to share documents with colleagues effortlessly, you are also able to set up private groups for different teams.
- Microsoft Teams is a great communication tool, and although you may be back in the office, you should utilise this quick and efficient way to talk and share information with your co-workers.
How can Nebula help?
If the shift back to the office is something you are worried about, or you feel like you could benefit from some IT advice, then we are here to help. At Nebula, we offer company training, whether one on one or as a team, we are here to help ensure everyone is on the same page. As you may already know, we are also huge advocates of the cloud, talk to us about making your business cloud-based, and learn the advantages and cost benefits this can provide you.
What’s more, we are here to discuss and advise on business preparation and growth plans, talk to us today for a no-obligation chat. Don’t leave it too late, when it comes to business, security should be a number one priority.
