COVID-19 has truly changed the world as we know it. We now wear face masks when we go
out, apply hand sanitizer at restaurants and retail stores and test for the virus before traveling.
Believe it or not, COVID has also had quite an impact on cyber security.

With COVID-19 came the work-from-home era. As employees were sent home to avoid
contracting and spreading the virus, remote work became necessary and the technology
department of many companies put aside their long-term projects and day-to-day tasks to
quickly establish a secure connection for remote work.

Think of it this way: Pre-COVID, you would head into the office and get to work on a
company-owned computer at your desk. That computer was likely set up before you even
started working with all of the programs, security measures and protection needed to keep your
network safe. In addition to that, you would probably attend in-person meetings in the
boardroom. But when we all moved to a work-from-home format, companies scrambled to outfit
laptops, often your personal computers, with the proper software and cybersecurity, and
meetings moved to Zoom.

The opportunity for cyber threats to attack grew exponentially. In fact, SwissInfo.ch shared in
June 2020 that the Swiss National Cyber Security Centre reported 350 cyber attacks per week
in Switzerland in April 2020, compared to the norm of 100-150.

COVID-19 RELATED NEWS

Cyber-attackers have also become very creative and taken advantage of the interest that
people have in COVID-related news, leading unsuspecting work-from-home employees to links
that pose a security threat.

How To Protect Your Business From Cyber Threats Amidst COVID

There are some basic activities that you can carry out to better protect your company against
cyber security threats.

• Provide employees with a license to antivirus or malware software for their personal computers.
• Educate staff on cyber security threats and what to look out for, including phishing scams.
• Identify weak areas in your I.T. systems before cyber-attackers do.
• Encourage your work-from-home staff to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
• Encourage work-from-home employees to ensure that their home Wi-Fi is protected with a strong password.
• Review and renew your business continuity plans to prepare for the result of an attack.

Protecting your productivity and bottom line from cyber threats is what we at Technikel do best.
Whether your team is now working remotely or not, a sound cyber security strategy is essential,
and our local team is equipped to implement and manage that strategy.

In addition to the technical aspect of cyber security, we also provide Security Awareness
Training to your staff to ensure that they know what a threat, such as a phishing scam, may look
like.

You can learn more about our Technikel Solutions here or set up a free I.T. Health Check with
us.