While everyone is pretty excited about working remotely, the fact remains that setting up thousands of remote offices has been exhausting for many companies. Outside of just the logistics involved in shutting down offices, companies now have to manage the enormous task of digitally securing network access for a widely spread remote workforce.

As teams log in from home, the risk of a remote computer or network being hacked has never been higher.

Though remote teams are best for the workers’ health and safety, home WiFi networks are often unsecured. If your team’s data is intercepted, your site could be hacked, and security could be compromised.

The best way to secure your remote workforce’s connection and protect your network is with a corporate VPN. With an encrypted web tunnel, you can protect your remote team’s data and protect your company’s website from being taken down by hackers.

What Is a Corporate VPN?

A VPN is a virtual private network. It’s an encrypted web connection that uses remote servers to bypass geographic restrictions to online content, while also preventing data interception through bank-grade encryption.

A VPN is used for secure remote access for employees, meaning your team can log on from anywhere, and your company’s internal information will remain safe

How Does a VPN Work?

While it sounds really technical, using a VPN is actually pretty easy. These days, software developers make apps that make it as easy as a quick download and install process.

When it’s time to sit down and get some work done, you just choose your server location, press connect, and you’re online and secured.

The right VPN provider has VPN servers located all over the world. This allows you to access information directly that might otherwise be restricted to you. People who travel to China on business a lot frequently use VPNs for this reason: they allow you to stay connected to the apps that you use the most.

What Is IP Whitelisting?

Taking things a step further, you can also go so far as to restrict the IP addresses that are allowed to access your website remotely. This prevents unauthorized users from gaining access to your internal network and bringing down your website during COVID-19.

When you whitelist an IP address, you add it to a special list for you and your corporate team to use. What that does is allow you to log in to your business network with your corporate VPN, using only the IP addresses that you designate.

IP whitelisting adds an extra layer of security; if a user doesn’t have a whitelisted IP, they’re not getting in, period.

Adapting Your Workflows for Remote Security

Using a corporate VPN is a great way to keep your team connected while they work remotely, but it’s only the first step. In many cases, what needs to be done is an overall reassessment of company workflows, allowing for adaptations during the current state of normal.

Make security adjustments to your SOPs where necessary, and distribute them to your team for review. Phishing and malware attacks are at an all-time high. If there’s one thing we know for sure here at PureVPN, it’s that hackers aren’t letting an opportunity like this one go to waste.

Though much of your remote work security might seem like common sense, you might be surprised what people don’t know. Write that stuff down, and make sure everyone attends any mandatory security training. Your data is at stake.

Plan for More Server Activity

A good VPN won’t slow your team down — but a server with limited processing capacity will.

With a fully remote team, you may soon find your corporate network overwhelmed. Be sure you have a conversation with your IT department as you make adjustments for COVID-19 to ensure you can continue to work remotely without any hiccups in the system.

Be An Available Leader During Times of Change

Nobody saw this coming. Nobody.

And while the reality may be that business and life go on, the reality also is that people are suffering — and not just from COVID-19.

The debilitating effects of COVID-19 on business and people are proving to be highly psychological in nature, and while there’s nothing wrong with pressing forward to keep people on the payroll, make sure you’re there for your people too.

Plan to answer more questions. Plan to play the part of both boss and partner. Your team will need more guidance, and you’ll need to work harder than ever to ensure they feel supported not just strategically, but psychologically, as they adapt to the new situation.

If you need support in adapting your security protocols to COVID-19, chat with our support team today to learn more about what PureVPN can do for you.