Ask an Adviser: How can we protect employee data in the era of remote work?

Welcome to Ask an Adviser, EBN’s  weekly column in which benefit brokers and advisers answer (anonymous) queries sent in by our readers. Looking for some expert advice? Please submit questions to askanadviser@arizent.com. This week, we asked Tom Kelly, president and CEO of IDX, to weigh in on the following: How can we protect employee data in the era of remote work?

The remote workforce has brought significant benefits, from increased flexibility to greater work satisfaction and improved productivity. But all of these benefits come with significant risks to both employers and employees. Today’s remote workforce isn’t just more digitally connected; it’s also more exposed to the threats of cyber crime, phishing scams, hacks and data breaches.

In the past, employers could take for granted that cybersecurity threats to their businesses stopped at the office door. But today’s remote worker has a digital footprint that is more complex than that; a data privacy violation at home or on a personal account can quickly lead to a data breach of the company.

Read more: HBCUs are working to drive more diverse talent to cybersecurity

In other words, remote work has erased the cybersecurity boundary between most employees’ personal and professional lives. Hackers can target employees’ home Wi-Fi networks and scrape all sorts of personal and sensitive information from their social media accounts to craft plausible, compelling phishing scams to steal work credentials. They also will steal employee login information or passwords from online shopping or streaming accounts and use that information to crack into employee work devices.

Employers and employees have to recognize their shared interest in protecting data privacy in the workforce. What steps can both parties take to address these risks, protect against these threats and shore up vulnerabilities?

It starts with employers instructing their employees in the basics of cyber hygiene — things like creating unique, secure passwords, only using secure Wi-Fi networks and being extremely careful about clicking on suspicious links.

Read more: Cyber stress: This is why employees are more worried about their virtual security

But more can and should be done. Just as businesses have for decades equipped their workforce with various insurance plans or on-the-job protective equipment, they now need to recognize the importance of supplying data privacy protection benefits to their digitally native workforce.

Today’s privacy protection software is designed to keep a workforce safe from a variety of risks to their personal data and online activities. In doing this, it also helps protect their company from risks of compromise that can lead to ransomware attacks and data breaches. Data privacy protection just can’t be an afterthought. Employers and employees need to know the risks and take proactive steps.