Working outside the workplace is rapidly transforming from an unusual way of living to a standard mode of operation. You will notice offices and teams spread throughout the Pale Blue Dot more than ever before. However, this has its drawbacks, and there are a few cybersecurity recommendations for remote workers and digital nomads that must be followed to safeguard this new “way of life.”
In general, three ground principles have emerged as the foundation for both ways of life:
- Maintain a low profile.
- Respect your own and your customers’ time.
- All you have is your name.
And although the last point may seem like something out of the Wild West, it was always appropriate for business. Your name reflects how you do business with others. You may spend decades building your portfolio and then taint it with a single data breach from a customer.
There are very simple methods to avoid this. With top VPN services such as NordVPN, you can guarantee that your digital traces are minimal regardless of where you are. After that, it’s just a matter of staying organized while island hopping in SE Asia.
Difference between digital nomads and remote workers
On the surface, these two groups may seem very similar. Even remote employees have the option of working from a café near their house or even outdoors during nice weather. However, they are very distinct when it comes to cybersecurity concerns.
Specifically, remote employees often have a single customer, their company, or a small group of individuals with whom they collaborate on long-term projects. Similarly, they will often reside in a single house and are frequently accompanied by their family.
This makes remote employees much more fixed targets for hackers and thieves. If you are picked up, there is a far greater likelihood that security will be breached at some point.
On the plus side, remote employees are less expensive and have increased defensive skills. You may install a high-quality cybersecurity system in your home office that will need updating just once a year or so.
Even with minimal cybersecurity, digital nomads are more difficult to trace and nearly impossible to identify. However, their whole system must be movable and adaptable at a moment’s notice.
These dangers are why both groups must use techniques to safeguard their professional data, personal information, and, ultimately, their livelihoods.
1. Maintain a low profile
Even distant workers, particularly digital nomads, will often have a much better financial position than the majority of the areas in which they reside. However, this should never be confused with excess.
At the very least, it is important to emulate the community’s lifestyle outwardly. This will enable you to communicate more effectively with your neighbors while also avoiding being a conspicuous target for both hackers and conventional criminals.
Keep in mind that you chose to work out of Talat Yai precisely because it is not in West Hollywood.
2. Make extensive use of external drives and cloud storage
This is a pretty straightforward procedure to follow. The general rule is that the client’s resources are kept in the cloud, but your papers are stored on external storage. This way, you’ll always have access to the data you need to do your job, and you’ll never have to worry about someone taking your data.
If you are not working with that client, disconnect the USB stick; this ensures that it cannot be accessed by anybody.
3. Disguise your location
If you understand what a VPN is used for, you are probably aware of the many reasons for concealing your IP address and therefore your location. Home VPNs will be critical for remote employee cybersecurity.
However, there is an added benefit for digital nomads. Because many customers hate the notion of someone working from afar, you may choose to withhold such information by connecting through a server in your own country.
4. Schedule regular maintenance
You must maintain the sharpness of your instruments. Weekly software maintenance should be performed, while hardware maintenance should be performed every two months.
This does not just mean allowing anti-spyware and anti-virus software to work. Additionally, you’ll need to go through your folders, organize everything, and clean up your digital area to the best of your ability.
5. Maintain redundant needs and data
Maintain duplicates. While you may not need an additional laptop, storing all of your data on an external drive prevents a cascading failure.
There are four essential items that you must always have in pairs:
- Tools for videoconferences
- Connection to the internet
- Power supply
- Digital credentials
The remainder should be reasonably easy to locate throughout the majority of the globe. However, you may want to include a small amount of cash in this list, just be cautious.
Conclusion
Working remotely, whether from home or a distant place, may be exhilarating and a dream come true. However, each option has drawbacks, and the first step to overcoming them should be acknowledging them.
With a few simple steps, you can safeguard your data and your reputation with customers without becoming obsessed with the subject. Premium services such as NordVPN can assist you with encryption and applications, but the majority of the work is just excellent organization.
And if you accomplish everything well, the prize is always more free time.