How to Connect Remotely to the Network 

Require employees and vendors to use secure connections when connecting remotely to your network. They should: 

• Use a router with WPA2 or WPA3 encryption when connecting from their homes. Encryption protects information sent over a network so that outsiders can’t read it. WPA2 and WPA3 are the only encryption standards that will protect information sent over a wireless network. 

• Only use public Wi-Fi when also using a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt traffic between their computers and the internet. Public Wi-Fi does not provide a secure internet connection on its own. Your employees can get a personal VPN account from a VPN service provider, or you may want to hire a vendor to create an enterprise VPN for all employees to 

Train your staff: 

• Include information on secure remote access in regular trainings and new staff orientations. 

• Have policies covering basic cybersecurity, give copies to your employees, and explain the importance of following them. 

• Before letting any device — whether at an employee’s home or on a vendor’s network — connect to your network, make sure it meets your network’s security requirements. 

• Tell your staff about the risks of public Wi-Fi. 

Give your staff tools that will help maintain security: 

• Require employees to use unique, complex network passwords and avoid unattended, open workstations. 

• Consider creating a VPN for employees to use when connecting remotely to the business network. 

• Require multi-factor authentication to access areas of your network that have sensitive information. This requires additional steps beyond logging in with a password — like a temporary code on a smartphone or a key that’s inserted into a computer. 

• If you offer Wi-Fi on your business premises for guests and customers, make sure it’s separate from and not connected to your business network 

• Include provisions for security in your vendor contracts, especially if the vendor will be connecting remotely to your network. 

Read the complete guide by FTC. 

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