How To Stay Safe And Secure On Your Business Trip

Do you travel a lot for business? Whether for a conference, meetings, or some other reason, you may need to spend some time to keep up with business-related tasks. Thanks to today's technology, you have the ability to remain productive while on the road or abroad.

However, be mindful of your security. Cyber threats are present everywhere, and travelers unaware of security best practices can provide a tantalizing road of sitting ducks for attackers to strike. Of particular importance to a traveling business owner is the utilization of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which allows you to access the company network on public Wi-Fi. Nevertheless, it is vital that you follow these often ignored best practices, especially while accessing your business's data.

Before departing for your trip:

• Update your software. Software updates aid in reducing the vulnerability of your device, especially those that apply to your security solutions. If your mobile solution’s software isn’t fully up to date, you are leaving the critical components of your business vulnerable to potential attack.
• Back up, back up, BACK UP. There’s a reason that best practices dictate that everything you have on your device be backed up before you leave. It would be a shame to lose all the work you had accomplished on top of misplacing what is likely a company-provided device. Keeping at least your progress up to that point backed up is a simple method of mitigating the risks of traveling with your device.

While traveling or at your destination:

• Connect with consideration. Public hotspots are rife with risk factors. A favorite method of many hackers is to set up their own Wi-Fi connections that closely mimic the name of an establishment’s actual Wi-Fi network. For example, if you’re staying at the (fictitious) Motel Morris and try to connect to the motel WiFi, you are given the options of MOTEL_MORRIS_GUEST or MOTELMORRIS_FREEWIFI. It may be difficult to determine which is legitimate. As a precaution, always confirm with the front desk which WiFi to use. If what appears to be an establishment’s Internet connection claims to require a software update, disconnect at once and inform management.
• The more brief, the better: The longer you spend connected to the Internet through public Wi-Fi, the longer a hacker has to detect and infiltrate your system. If you aren’t actively engaged in some task, disconnect and log back in when you are again prepared to accomplish something. 
• Keep it to yourself. If at all possible, use your own data plan and create a hotspot to access materials online, especially if financial matters and accounts are concerned. This will make the prospect of infiltration by hackers far less likely.

Just because you are traveling doesn’t mean you can’t be productive without maintaining a reasonable level of data security. With the proper safeguards in place, you can make sure time is not wasted when there is work to be done.

Traveling abroad? Give us a call at (973) 882-4644 to get your technology secured!