If You Work From Home, You Better Make Sure You’re Protected

** In collaboration** 

A lot of people don’t seem to realize that working from home isn’t just a career option–it’s a lifestyle choice. As such, you can’t just separate yourself from your job if you work from home. It just doesn’t work! You need to find ways to merge different aspects of your life and your career so that you’re not forcibly trying to segregate the two. In reality, you should be taking advantage of the fact that you can merge your work and personal life so that you’re not trying to fight against the current.

However, while it does come with some great advantages, it also comes with a couple more considerations that are important to think about in the long term. Primarily, you should be thinking about security.

You’ll lose not just your possessions, but also your job if you’re not careful

One of the silver linings when your computer breaks or is stolen is that you at least still have your job. It’s going to be depressing to go through all of the insurance struggles or gathering up the money for replacements, but at least you still have your main form of income.

That isn’t the case if you work from home.

Having your laptop stolen or your internet router broken means that you’re going to be out of a job as well. If you have many deadlines to meet and you’re suddenly without a laptop, then you’re going to be in some serious trouble. The reality is that businesses (especially large corporations) can spend upwards of billions on security alone to protect their company, its assets and its data. If you’re working from home or run a small business, then you too need to care about protecting yourself so that you don’t risk losing your career.

How to protect yourself as an at-home worker

Regardless if you’re a remote employee or have your own business, here are a couple of tips on how you can keep yourself safe and secured:

1. Secure your premises by using a CCTV installation to both deter thieves and track them down should your house be broken into.
2. Make sure you keep your security updated. This includes updating your firewall, antivirus software and ensuring that you install system updates when they’re released.
3. Always keep a backup of your work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freelance web designer, writer or perform general office duties–make sure you back up any important documents and work.
4. Understand social engineering and how to get around it. Don’t be fooled by random phishing attempts, don’t give your password to others (even close friends and family members!) and make sure you use secure authentication methods!
5. Be more careful about where you keep your laptop if it’s crucial to your work process. Don’t leave it in your car to attract thieves, don’t leave it on a table in a coffee shop while you order a drink and don’t leave it laying around in a co-working office.

In short, as long as you’re extra careful and realize that losing your laptop or data means losing your career, then you’ll be far more cautious about how you protect yourself.