You’re likely hoping for less stress during the hotter months, but summer is the season of traveling, and whether it’s for work or pleasure, taking your devices to unfamiliar areas can inadvertently put your accounts at risk.
Cybersecurity isn’t limited to the office, and there are just as many security risks at your favorite vacation spot as there are at the workplace. A lax vacation attitude can also lead to relaxed security, and it’s not uncommon for a device to be misplaced in the strangest spaces.
If you don’t want to worry about dragging malware from your vacation back into the office, read up on some important cyber-safety tips to kick off the summer season.
Keep Your Devices Safe While Traveling
Devices that have access to your business network can be a major security risk if lost or stolen while traveling. On top of the inconvenience of losing your phone or laptop, you now have to deal with the hassle of the follow-up security protocols.
Turn on Find My Devices
Enabling Find My Device tools can prevent the permanent loss of any important data or costly tech and can prevent a headache while on vacation.
Using MFA
This is especially important for traveling workers as MFA prevents easy access to your business accounts, requiring another authorized device to approve logins. If your device is lost or stolen, MFA will alert you when and where someone is attempting to access your account.
Implement Session Timeouts for Business Accounts
No one enjoys having to login again once their session has timed out, but in the case of a lost or stolen device, a session timeout will prevent a stranger from having automatic access to important user accounts.
Backup Your Data
In the event of a breach or lost device, make sure your important data is backed up somewhere safe, whether it’s your personal information or business data.
Mobile Device Protection for Business Devices
Many businesses prioritize protection for their office computers, but mobile devices like laptops, phones, and tablets also pose a risk to a company’s IT infrastructure and are more likely to be lost or misplaced. Implementing tracking software, backups, and the necessary cyber-protections are important in reinforcing your business’ security.
Update your devices
Software updates can patch security issues for your devices. Traveling can often leave your devices vulnerable to unsecured networks and new sites, so make sure your software is updated and secured as much as possible.
Employee Awareness Training
Before vacation season kicks off, make sure cybersecurity best practices are taught to everyone in the office. It only takes once security breach or misclick to compromise the operations of the entire business. Proactive security methods save both time and headaches for everyone, and awareness is the first step!
Make sure summer stays fun while you travel, and keep your devices safe and secure. Mistakes and accidents happen, but the consequences can be mitigated if you take the right precautions. Alerting your IT team before your vacation and after in the event that anything suspicious occurred can help make the travel season seamless for everyone.
If you have any other questions about tech support and cybersecurity, don’t hesitate to talk to our team.