A new report recently published found that 67% of remote workers use faulty tech when they work remotely. Generally, because they’ve accidentally damaged the tech themselves, they don’t want to admit it to their boss in case they get into trouble.
A refurbished technology company surveyed 2,500 UK employees and found that laptops were most likely to be broken, followed by keyboards, monitors and PCs.
Most of the time, the damage was due to spilt liquids. Other causes of damage included other people such as a partner or housemates – and pets.
We’ve all watched in horror as a cat brushes against a full glass of water next to a laptop.
While over half of people try to fix the damage, and 81% of people continue to use their faulty devices with limited features, one-third of workers switch to their personal laptops instead.
As well, this is causing a loss of productivity. It could also be a massive data security risk for your business. Because their personal laptop won’t have as much security protection as their work laptop does, such as:
- Security software
- Data encryption
- Enhanced password protection such as multi-factor authentication
Personal devices also aren’t being monitored by your IT support partner. When an attacker gains access to an unmanaged device, if it’s connected to your network, it’s possible they can get access to the broader network and all of your business’s data.
Which can result in your data being stolen and sold or worse, or your information being encrypted, so it’s useless to you – and you must pay for its return.
This is called a ransomware attack, and it’s the most significant cyber security threat to your business right now.
It’s not just access to your data that’s the problem. After a ransomware attack, there is a considerable time, and financial cost involved in ensuring your network is clean, protected and secured.
Our advice is to make sure that everyone in your business understands the risks of using personal devices for work purposes, whether they work remotely or not.
You might want to make a golden rule that you must do all work on business computers. You could also create a culture where it’s not an issue if a device gets broken, so long as it’s reported to the IT team.
If you need any help choosing the right tech or cyber security soloutions for your team, or creating new policies to help your staff do the right thing, give us a call.
NewGen Team: 01933 426129 or Email: info@newgen-it.co.uk
