The news of Coronavirus shook the tech world for the first time when popular MWC mobile conference got cancelled after many telecom exhibitors pulled out. In the past three weeks, most of the tech activities witnessing gathering of people have either been cancelled, postponed or transformed into an online event.
The situation has now become pandemic, and it has compelled tech companies across the world to limit all the operational activities of their workforce from home itself. This work from home policy has been opted by an immense numbers of companies right from the tech giants to the small scale IT enterprises across the world. Yes, it is easier for the large scale companies to set the infrastructure and make the policies for remote working.
One imperative solution which needs to be deployed by the organizations promoting work from home is to provision an “employee tracking app”, which keeps track and tells employers exactly how their employees use their time. This solution eases the management of the team and enhances their productivity. But, it is the medium to small scale companies that find it difficult to answer the question-
How network and systems administration should handle job while work-from-home amid Coronavirus scare and factors they should consider?
Well, to successfully conduct work from home, there are certain factors that are needed to be taken into account in order to ensure successful work-from-home for the technical workforce. Let us have a glance over them one by one-
Ensuring Physical Safety of Company Devices:
When it comes to network and systems administration then one of the greater risk is leaving the safety and security of the workplace and moving to a casual home environment. Here, it is extremely important to safeguard the devices belonging to the company against theft and loss. While conducting the operation on company device from home, it is essential to put it in full-disk encryption mode so that even if the device falls into wrong hands, the data of the company not remain accessible.
Additionally, please ensure to log out when the system is not in use. It will ensure that no one near you inquisitively tamper with the data or send it to a wrong person via mail or any other medium of communication.
Analysing Home Technology Environment:
It is possible for network and system administrators to work-from-home after conducting a proper assessment of all the vulnerabilities before linking the work devices. If you are using home network Wi-Fi then secure it with strong passwords and update software/firmware to the latest version. You can also get benefited with home monitoring app to monitor or scan for known vulnerabilities.
Beware of Cyber attacks:
If you are thinking that amid Coronavirus scare, the hackers would have shut down their operations then you are mistaken! It is the perfect time for such individuals to conduct their illicit activities. That is the reason why it is imperative for the businesses to render proper guidance to their network and system administration to stay extra cautious while working from home.
In order to make the home environment secure, it is necessary to encourage communication and securely connect the users to their business critical clouds. The businesses can enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) as well as employ virtual private network (VPN), as it will provide strong protection against malware attacks and phishing. A trusted VPN can perform the same function as corporate firewalls do at the office.
Do not Mix Personal Life and Work:
It is one of the most common problems faced by the employees while conducting work from home. It is important that you maintain the same discipline at home as your maintain at the office, and complete the work within a stipulated time-frame in order to spend a quality time with your family. Never make sticky notes of important office details or passwords, as it is always a possibility them getting mixed with other stuff in daily household chores.
Last but not the least, beware of COVID-19 scams and never open fishy emails, fake apps and links asking for donations over your work device or even the network to which it is connected. It might result in data theft even before you realize about the same.
So these are some of the tactics on how network and systems administration can handle job while work-from-home amid Coronavirus scare and yet maintain a perfect balance between work and personal like. Hoping that it would be worth your time and effort!
Stay healthy, stay safe!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am here to share my knowledge and experience in the field of networking with the goal being – “The more you share, the more you learn.”
I am a biotechnologist by qualification and a Network Enthusiast by interest. I developed interest in networking being in the company of a passionate Network Professional, my husband.
I am a strong believer of the fact that “learning is a constant process of discovering yourself.”
– Rashmi Bhardwaj (Author/Editor)
