By Andrew Curtis
2020 has been full of unexpected turns of events. In terms of business, very
few of us were prepared for the major changes in operations that would occur
for the vast majority of us. Back at the start of the year, many of us were
operating from commercial premises, managing our workforces on a face to
face basis - holding meetings, having colleagues collaborate from desks next
to one another, socialising in kitchen spaces and communal spaces on break
times. But the coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has changed all of this.
Almost all offices are now empty, with huge numbers of workforces switching
to operating on a remote basis. This has been essential for the safety of
workers, their families and everyone else, as it helps to slow the spread of
the virus. Put simply, anyone who can work from home should be working from
home. But having a remote workforce does face your business with a lot of
new threats. Here are just a few ways to protect your company from them!
Protecting Against Cyber Attacks
Cyber attacks are on the rise during this pandemic. Cyber criminals are
aware that many businesses are operating on a remote basis for the first
time, and that many are unprepared for how to handle this situation
properly. Employees who aren’t used to working remotely can make all sorts
of mistakes that leave your business open and vulnerable to attack. Now,
it’s absolutely essential that you protect your business against cyber
attacks, as successful attempts can result in potentially disastrous
consequences. Significant damage can arise from:
- Theft of corporate information
- Theft of financial information
- Theft of money
- Disruption to trading
- Loss of business
- Loss of contracts
It’s also important to remember that these attacks can damage your
reputation, resulting in customers not wanting to buy from you, staff not
wanting to work for you, or other companies not wanting to partner with you.
Plus, you’re likely to incur costs following a cyber attack in order to
repair damaged systems, networks and business devices. To protect your
business against cyber attack, you need to make sure to use managed IT
services like safebitsolutions.com. Not only can companies like this resolve
IT problems, but they can monitor your systems and prevent attacks.
Protecting Against Lack of Productivity
It can be hard to keep staff engaged and productive when they’re working
from home. But reduced productivity can result in reduced sales, profits and
success. So, you need to take control of this aspect of your business and
actively encourage employee productivity - even when they are out of the
office. A good way to achieve this is to set KPIs (Key Performance
Indicators) or specific goals that employees need to achieve by a set date.
This will ensure that all work that needs to be done is completed on time.
These are just a couple of threats that can face your business during this
trying time. Make sure to be aware of them, to keep them in the back of your
mind, and to actively work to tackle them on a consistent basis!
