By: Keith Fentress (President, Fentress Inc.) and
Mike Jones (President, Major Security Consulting and Design, LLC)
Home offices can be tempting targets for thieves. They are typically well-stocked with technology and may contain information that can be sensitive for your company and damaging to client relations if not adequately secured.
For these reasons, addressing security for your home office is an important responsibility of keeping your home safe and keeping the contents of your office safe for your employer.
Five tips on a teleworker's home office security:
- UNWANTED ATTENTION- Home offices make attractive targets for thieves because they typically have lots of technology that can be stolen and quickly sold. Don't attract attention to technology purchases by leaving boxes on the curb for recycling. Break down the boxes or take them to a recycling center.
- WHO'S AT THE DOOR- If you work alone all day, consider a doorbell with a camera. Many available models send alerts to your smartphone when someone rings the bell. You can see a video of the person and speak with them via an intercom. You can tell salespeople you are not interested or ask for deliveries to be left at the door.
- OFFICE LOCATION- If your home has an upper story, consider locating your office above the ground floor. By doing so, thieves cannot see technology or sensitive work material through the windows. If on the ground floor or in a basement with windows, install curtains or blinds to block views into your office, especially after dark.
- SECURE INTERNET- WiFi can "leak" through your walls, so ensure password protection. Also, check the Internet connection to your home and cover exposed cabling with conduit that cannot be easily cut. Better yet, harden your Internet connection with a locking network interface box.
- LOCKING DOORS AND CABINETS- Protect your equipment and sensitive work materials by securing your office with a solid core door and deadbolt. If your office is in an open area, have a clean desk policy and store equipment and materials in a lockable cabinet.
