A recent report discovered that 67% of remote workers use faulty technology when they work remotely.
Often, they've accidentally damaged the device themselves and don't want to report it to their boss because they fear they will get into trouble.
Recently, a company that supplies refurbished technology surveyed 2,500 employees.
It found that laptops were most likely to be broken, followed by keyboards, monitors, and PCs.
Most of the time, the damage resulted from spilled food and drink. However, other causes of damage included other people within the house – such as a partner or housemates – and, of course, there are the pets.
We have all watched in horror as a cat brushes up against a full glass of water next to a laptop or when a child or dog runs around the house and trips over your laptop power cord.
While more than half of people try to fix the damage themselves, 81% of people will continue to use their faulty devices with limited functionality, and one-third of workers switch to their personal devices instead, never telling the company.
In addition to causing a loss of productivity, it could also be a massive data security risk for your business.
Because it is quite possible their personal laptop doesn't have the same security protection as their work laptop does, such as:
- Managed security software
- Data encryption
- Additional password protection such as multi-factor authentication or password rotation.
As their personal devices also aren't being monitored by your IT support partner and probably don't get the same consideration your business machines do.
When an attacker gains access via these unmanaged devices, it's often connected to your network, and it's possible they can get access to the broader network and all of your business's data as a result.
This can result in your data being stolen and sold without your knowledge. Or worse, your information is encrypted after it has been sold, so it's useless to you – and you must pay for its return. This is called a ransomware attack, and it's the greatest cyber security threat to your business right now.
It's not just access to your data that's the problem. For example, after a ransomware attack, there is a considerable time and financial cost to ensure 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 all work must only be done on business devices under your control.
You could also create a culture where it's OK if a device gets damaged, so long as it's reported quickly (this also protects the employee).
If you need help choosing the right technology, the appropriate cyber security approach for your team, or creating new policies to help your staff do the right thing, give us a call.
