In our new age of remote working, it has become increasingly important for companies to review their cyber security practices and ensure that their workforce is adhering to the relevant policies and procedures. It has become crucial for remote businesses to adjust safe cyber security practices. Since remote working presents obstacles for cyber security as it’s more challenging to monitor staff and encourages personal, non-company authorised electronic equipment.
Finding adequate remote working support is complex even if businesses have the latest, high-tech equipment; therefore, relevant security measures such as cyber essentials must be in place already to make the adaption from the office to the home more manageable. Considering this, we’ve created this article outlining why cyber essentials are crucial for any remote business and how it can make remote working easier for the entire workforce.
Improves Your Security Measures
Obtaining your cyber essentials certification should be your first option as a business when endeavouring to improve your cyber security and is often viewed as an essential first step towards better safety practices and measures. Cyber essentials are a perfect stepping stone for remote businesses, whether you have tech expertise or not. It can provide guidance or support against cybercrime by advising companies about abnormalities and how to resolve them.
Through the implementation of various controls which will assist in fending off potential attacks, some of the most common controls used by businesses are firewalls, patch management, malware protection, access control and security configuration. By implementing these controls and having cyber essentials in place, rest assured that while working remotely, your business has made a proactive effort towards preventing cybercrime and that a solid security baseline will be in place.
Gives You Potential To Improve Security Measures Further
Once you’ve achieved your cyber essentials certification, your business doesn’t have to stop there. Suppose your remote business would like to demonstrate further a proactive approach to cybercrime and its prevention. In that case, you could look at achieving other cyber security certifications such as an ISO 27001 qualification or Cyber Essentials Plus.
The latter is like cyber essentials, but it involves more vigorous checks and independent verification. Not to mention, obtaining a cyber essentials qualification for your remote business offers other advantages, such as the entitlement to free cyber liability insurance, including business interruption, extortion, and emergency costs. You’ll find that the requirements for GDPR compliance will be more straightforward for your business to meet after obtaining a cyber essentials certification since some of the frameworks is like those outlined in GDPR.
Shows Your Commitment To Security
As a remote business, it’s even more critical for you to demonstrate your commitment to security since it’s harder for staff to be monitored. After achieving cyber essentials, you’ll be added to the IASME database of accredited businesses. You will be given authority to display the relevant branding on your website and any other business pages, which will prove to new/existing customers and potential business partners that you take your business’s cyber security seriously. If you’d like more information, consider enlisting the services of managed service providers Texaport, who will be able to support you every step of the way of your cyber essentials journey. Take a look at their website to see how their offerings can benefit your business today.
