When you work from home, your workspace may be a separate room, a corner desk, or your kitchen counter. Regardless of the spot where you work, take these steps to make sure your workspace is secure:
- Don’t leave documents out. If you work with sensitive information, keep printed versions out-of-sight when you aren’t using them. When you can, avoid printing data that you could access from your computer instead.
- Don’t discuss work details. Your ‘home office’ could be in your living room – make sure you don’t disclose sensitive information to family and friends.
- Don’t keep your passwords on sticky notes. Install password management software (or a ‘password vault’) and store your passwords there.
- Position your computer screens so that family and others nearby can’t see your work.
- Lock your doors and windows. If you have a separate home office, consider locking the door when you aren’t working there. Don’t leave computers and devices out where a passer-by could steal them and, if you work in a place where theft is at all likely, use a cable lock to secure your computer.
- Install a security camera. Consider a low-cost security camera that can alert you if anyone accesses your workspace and show that you’ve kept sensitive data safe. You can usually position the camera to focus on your work area and not personal spaces – at the same time, try to keep screens and papers off-camera so you don’t record sensitive information.
How you secure your workspace will depend on your location. Your goal should be to keep the information you work with and the applications you use as safe at home as if you were in a corporate office.