Securing the Remote Workforce – Six Best Practices
Remote work, the Internet, and cloud Apps have transformed how organizations operate. Employees can be productive from homes, coffee shops, airports, and coworking spaces, but this flexibility comes with serious risk. Every remote connection expands the attack surface. Phishing, ransomware, credential theft, and unsecured devices are potential entry points. One misstep for small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) can lead to data loss, downtime, and reputational damage.
The challenge is clear: how do you give employees seamless access to the apps they need without exposing the business to unnecessary risk? The answer lies in proactive strategies that blend security, usability, and visibility.
Six Best Practices for Securing the Remote Workforce
- Adopt a Zero Trust Mindset
Never assume a user, device, or connection is safe. Enforce least privilege access and verify every request in real time.
- Enforce Strong Identity and MFA
Use an identity provider with multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect against stolen credentials, the most common initial attack vector.
- Secure Web and Internet Access
Protect employees from phishing, malware, and malicious sites with a secure web gateway and DNS filtering, wherever they connect.
- Replace Flat Network Access
We should move away from full-network access methods like legacy VPNs and instead provide per-app, per-user connections that reduce lateral movement.
- Monitor Devices and Posture
Ensure endpoints are protected with up-to-date antivirus/EDR and verify device posture before granting access.
- Centralize Policy and Visibility
Unify management in a single console for consistent policies, simplified compliance, and real-time visibility into remote activity.
Remote Workforce Security Checklist
- MFA enabled for all users
- Identity provider integrated with access policies
- Firewall as a Service, Secure Web Gateway/DNS filtering in place
- Per-app, least-privileged access enforced
- Endpoint protection and device posture checks are active
- Policies managed centrally in the cloud
- Comprehensive logs and reports for auditing
Bringing It All Together
Securing the remote workforce isn't about bolting on one more tool; it's about creating a unified, Cloud-delivered approach that protects users wherever they work. With FireCloud Total Access, SMEs, and MSPs can adopt these best practices in a single service: protecting users from Internet threats, enforcing zero trust access to SaaS and private apps, and managing it all through WatchGuard Cloud.
Remote work is here to stay, and security needs to be just as flexible. The organizations that act now will protect their people, safeguard their data, and empower a productive and resilient workforce.
