Let’s be honest, remote working isn’t a perk anymore; it’s part of the furniture in countless organisations across the UK and beyond. The shift, sped up by the pandemic, has been made possible by a raft of cloud computing and digital tools. But while it offers brilliant flexibility and, for many, a real boost in productivity, it’s also thrown open the doors to a host of security and data protection headaches that we, as HR professionals, simply can’t ignore.
The risks to our company’s and our clients’ sensitive data have ballooned, from sophisticated phishing attacks landing in home inboxes to staff connecting via unsecured Wi-Fi at the local coffee shop. In this article, we’ll get practical about the real-world security challenges of remote work and explore some robust strategies you can put in place to manage them effectively.
The New Reality: A Widened Playing Field for Data Risks
Remote working was once a footnote in the employee handbook, but now it’s standard operating procedure. The problem? Our traditional IT security, built like a fortress around the office, just isn’t fit for purpose when your workforce is scattered across the country. Every time an employee accesses sensitive data from a personal laptop, a shared family network or an unvetted cloud platform, the organisation’s exposure to threats multiplies.
And this isn’t just theoretical. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has been very clear that cybercrime targeting remote workers has shot up, with email scams, ransomware and outright data theft topping their list of concerns.
Where Are the Real Gaps in Our Armour?
The hybrid model introduces some very specific vulnerabilities. The first step towards building a truly secure remote working strategy is getting to grips with what they actually are.
1. That Dodgy Home Wi-Fi
- How many of your team are still using the default password on their home router? Their Wi-Fi might have weak encryption, leaving the door wide open.
- Without the buffer of corporate-grade firewalls, their work devices are far more vulnerable to malware and direct hacking attempts.
2. The Perils of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD)
- Staff often use their personal laptops or phones for work, but do these devices have up-to-date antivirus protection or the latest security patches? Often, the answer is no.
- Without a solid device management policy, a lost or stolen phone can quickly become a critical data breach.
3. Who’s Really Controlling Our Cloud?
- The ease of using platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive means they are frequently used for file sharing, many times without any IT oversight or approval.
- If these services are set up incorrectly or used without authorisation, they represent a major weak spot for data leaks.
4. The Uncomfortable Truth: Insider Risks
- It’s harder to have effective oversight when everyone is remote. This means a malicious (or, more likely, a careless) employee could mishandle or share confidential information without anyone noticing.
5. Phishing: The Oldest Trick Still Works Best
- Remote staff can be more susceptible to phishing scams, especially if they’re mixing personal and work email or haven’t had recent cybersecurity training.
- The isolation of working from home can make people more vulnerable to social engineering tactics, which prey on unfamiliar communication patterns.
Staying on the Right Side of the Law
Just because your team is working from their kitchen tables doesn’t mean your business gets a pass on data protection laws. Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, your organisation remains fully responsible for keeping personal and sensitive data secure, no matter where it’s being accessed or processed.
Getting this wrong can have crippling consequences, including hefty fines from the ICO, serious reputational damage and a complete loss of client trust.
Your core legal duties include:
- Ensuring you have a lawful basis for all the data you process.
- Putting in place the right technical and organisational security measures.
- Carrying out proper risk assessments and, where needed, Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).
- Making sure all your staff are trained on how to handle data securely and respect privacy rights.
Practical Steps to Fortify Your Remote Set-Up
To create a genuinely secure remote work environment, you need a strategy with multiple layers. Here are the key best practices that will cut your risk profile and help you maintain robust data protection.
1. Put It in Writing: Your Remote Work Policy
You must have a comprehensive policy that clearly defines the acceptable use of company data, devices and communication channels.
It needs to include:
- Clear rules on how data should be accessed, stored and sent.
- A firm line on separating personal and professional digital activities.
- A straightforward procedure for reporting and escalating any security incidents.
2. Make the VPN Non-Negotiable
Insist that employees connect to company systems via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). This is vital for ensuring all communication is encrypted, especially when they’re using public or untrusted home networks.
3. Lock Down Every Endpoint
Install professional antivirus, anti-malware and intrusion detection software on every single device used for remote work, whether it’s company-issued or personal. And remember, these tools are only effective if they’re kept updated.
4. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA is no longer a ‘nice to have’. It adds a crucial second layer of verification, making it dramatically harder for an attacker to gain access to an account, even if they’ve stolen the password.
5. Insist on Encryption for Devices and Storage
Make sure any device used for work has full-disk encryption enabled. You should also promote the use of encrypted USB drives or approved, secure cloud storage platforms that have proper access controls.
6. Get a Grip on ‘Shadow IT’
You need to know which third-party cloud apps your employees are using. Tools like cloud access security brokers (CASBs) can help you monitor, approve and manage the apps used to share or store company data.
7. Training That Actually Sticks
Run regular cybersecurity awareness training that goes beyond a simple tick-box exercise. It needs to cover:
- Spotting and avoiding modern phishing attempts.
- Good password management and hygiene.
- Safe and practical data handling practices for day-to-day work.
- Knowing exactly who to contact (and how) when something looks suspicious.
Beyond Security: The Broader Data Protection Picture
On top of the cybersecurity nuts and bolts, we have to think about the wider data protection issues, particularly when it comes to the personal data of our clients, colleagues and partners.
1. Data Minimisation
Drill this into your teams: only access or process the data that is absolutely essential for the task at hand. Discourage downloading huge datasets or storing sensitive information locally on laptops.
2. Smart Remote Data Access Controls
You should be using role-based access controls and even time-limited permissions to strictly manage who can see specific sets of data.
3. Monitoring and Auditing
Implement proper logging and audit trails for access to sensitive data. This isn’t about spying; it’s about spotting unusual behaviour and having the evidence needed to support an investigation if something goes wrong.
4. Robust Data Retention Policies
Make sure data isn’t being kept for longer than is legally or commercially necessary. Train staff on secure deletion methods and check that all your backups are properly encrypted.
5. Handling Subject Access Requests (SARs)
Your processes for handling SARs must work seamlessly, even when the relevant data might be spread across remote devices and various cloud platforms. You need a plan for this.
It’s All About Culture, Isn’t It?
All the technology in the world won’t protect you completely. What really makes the difference is fostering a culture where every single employee feels a sense of ownership for safeguarding company and personal data.
You want to actively encourage these values:
- An environment where people feel safe to admit a mistake or report a potential breach without fear.
- A proactive mindset, where reporting suspicious activity is seen as everyone’s job.
- Genuine collaboration between employees, IT and compliance teams.
- A shared understanding that respecting data privacy is a core professional ethic.
So, What’s Our Action Plan?
Business leaders, HR professionals and IT managers have to be in this together to build a remote working model that is secure, compliant and sustainable. This checklist is a good place to start:
- Conduct thorough and regular risk assessments specifically for remote work.
- Define and enforce clear security standards for all devices.
- Review and update your remote and hybrid working policies at least annually.
- Engage your teams with ongoing, interesting cyber awareness initiatives.
- Invest properly in the IT infrastructure and support needed to make all of this happen.
Final Thoughts
Look, remote working is here to stay. While the benefits for flexibility, cost-effectiveness and employee wellbeing are huge, it demands a much more switched-on approach to security and data protection.
By taking a proactive, structured approach (guided by clear policies, strong technology and continuous education) your organisation can empower its teams to work safely and productively, wherever they happen to be.
Ultimately, protecting data isn’t just a technical task. It’s a fundamental business imperative, a serious legal duty and the very foundation of trust with your clients and your people.
