Many businesses want to allow people to log in from outside their premises. Perhaps the sales team wants to access their files from the road. Perhaps some of the developers want to fix problems late at night. After the pandemic, many believe that working remotely is an important part of their company culture.
No matter the reason, each enterprise should have a remote access policy. This sets out the rules for accessing the data from the general Internet so that work can be done safely and securely.
The degree and style of access will vary greatly depending on the nature of the work. Enterprises like schools or hospitals that work with sensitive, personal information will need stronger safeguards than those that work with details that may already be publicly accessible.
Some of the important aspects of a good security policy are:
- Which data is accessible? Some allow the bare minimum to accomplish the tasks from the road. Others give the same access as in the office.
- What authentication is required? More insist upon two or even three different forms of authentication in order to prevent attacks.
- What security protects the connection? Some use virtual private networks or other forms of encryption to prevent eavesdroppers from looking at the data flowing on the public networks.
- What software is supported? Are all the same applications available remotely?