Why ‘work’ is best left at ‘work’ Most employers gladly distribute work to employees allowing them to carry company equipment in the form of laptops back home and away from work here in Dubai. As much as most companies think that such habits bring in more business or can get more work done, the same can’t be said about security. This is because connecting such devices to external networks or even an unprotected Wi-Fi terminal can pose big threats for businesses and large corporate firms as well. The idea of carrying work home, can be a risk for the business and the clients which is why most companies in Dubai today offer better work environments and perks that offer a comfortable place to work at rather than carrying home the stress (if any) and data back home where it could easily fall in the wrong hands. A client list is the most prized possessions of any small business; it helps owners give them the best deals and keeps all dealings on a need-to-know basis. This is why it needs to be stored in a secure location under lock and key. Employees carry work home for different reasons: • Some may simply like working from home • Others may be hired as freelancers (which is not a security threat of any concern) • Employees also take work home to get them done on a weekend especially if they are running short of their targets. Some employees are simply hired to work from home. They get the job done without the need to plug into a company’s systems which is a good way to keep both sides happy. The threat comes when employees carry home company laptops which are plugged into unprotected public networks at multiple places, this can be a café you stopped by after work, or a client meet at a restaurant, and at home where most people take PC security for granted these days.
People who are after the information or a gateway into your company have more than one opportunity to simply insert a piece of code which can come to you in various forms, knowingly or unknowingly. Such cases often lead to major vulnerabilities that lead to larger loop holes that can only be identified, only if a company keeps on changing its data backup policies on a monthly basis. What data thieves are after, are those digital files which some companies — even after so many instances of crime — allow access to, from system to system. Such systems therefore, need to be sourced to the centre and checked for vulnerabilities, which may have been there over time and could have led to bigger problems. Well designed information management systems help keep a tap on who is accessing which file at what time. Whether physical or digital, such well-designed systems can only be created by third-party records management companies in Dubai, which provide comprehensive services that have nothing to do with anyone from your company — keeping your data safe from everyone (including those from within your company). A great idea is to keep the work notebooks just for work and your personal stuff running on a personal system. And even though you have carried your work laptop with you, it is wise to connect to the net with it via a separate connection and not via Wi-Fi network available at many establishments. This keeps everyone safe and although it does not keep work at work, it will certainly help keep a thick wall between your personal and work life which is good for your company and yourself.