Security measures to keep your laptop safe from cybercriminals and bad actors is crucial. When working remotely, you may have a company VPN to access the network. However, how can you keep personal files and data safe and secure?

In this article, we’ll take a look at several methods that will keep your laptop safe wherever you happen to be working.

Antivirus & Malware Protection

Why is it important to use antivirus and malware protection on your laptop? These are easy ways to keep your work and personal data safe from hackers. With the number of data breaches and vulnerability exploits increasing, antivirus and malware are essential.

Antivirus and malware software keeps watch over all activities on the device, as well as files that are downloaded. These files and activities are scanned to look for malicious viruses and other problems. When the virus is found, it’s removed, keeping the laptop and the network protected against the potential attack. As a result, no data is lost to hackers.

Not only that, but antivirus and malware protection also limit access to websites that may contain malicious code. The software analyses each site for possible cyber threats such as ransomware, spyware, and more. If something bad is found on the website, the antivirus/malware keeps you from accessing the infected page. Your data and files are kept, as is the network you’re on.

These are the benefits of using antivirus and malware protection on your laptop. This software protects you and others on the network, along with your laptop.

Ransomware Protection

Just as antivirus and malware protection keeps you safe, so does ransomware protection. Ransomware is dangerous because it will encrypt all the files on your laptop and then demand payment to restore them. In some cases, even when the ransom is paid, the hackers don’t restore the files. Then you’re out in the cold with no files and a laptop that doesn’t work.

Instead, installing ransomware protection can keep your device and business safe from this type of attack. What’s more, ransomware protection software may also be able to recover your files without paying the hacker.

In some cases, antivirus and ransomware protection come in one package. However, this depends on the specific software you’re using. So, it may be worthwhile to see if your antivirus/malware protection also protects against ransomware. If not, then investing in ransomware protection is something to consider. Your laptop, business & personal data will be better protected with this additional service.

Multifactor Authentication

Multifactor authentication is another method that can keep your laptop and data safe. Multifactor authentication, also called MFA, requires a user to input two pieces of information to verify their identity to log into an account. The user is only granted access when they can correctly provide the information. Otherwise, they are locked out of the account.

MFA may seem like a pain when you need to access an account quickly. However, it’s one of the best ways to add more security. It’s another layer a hacker must successfully manage before gaining access to your account.

Microsoft Intune

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based device management service that adds yet another layer of security to mobile devices such as laptops. Not only that, but Microsoft Intune also is compliance-friendly for industries that subject to compliance regulations.

This service makes it easy for businesses to allow employees to access company apps, data, and resources from anywhere on a mobile device. This is done without compromising company data and information. Microsoft Intune is available on a subscription basis, which keeps costs low per user on a monthly basis.

Microsoft Intune makes it easy to manage settings for each device in the company. Configuration settings are set up and applied based on the group membership in the cloud. Several profiles can be assigned to one person based on their job and the data needed to perform their job.

It’s also possible for a business to take advantage of Windows Update for Business. This means devices connected to the service are all updated without IT having to manage the patches.

Another benefit is that onboarding is faster and easier, as well as device replacement. This is because new devices can be shipped directly to an employee; the device is automatically enrolled to the Intune service. Device management is then done online and within only a few minutes.

As a result, Intune provides another layer of security when combined with other security methods already mentioned earlier.

Azure Active Directory

Azure Active Directory is another service from Microsoft, which offers cloud-based identity and access management services, as well as on-premises environments. This is a digital network that makes it easy for employees to sign in and access external resources in Office 365 and other SaaS applications.

The service is completely cloud-based, which means it can be used from anywhere—on-site and in the cloud. Azure features single sign-on, MFA, and more. It also provides one place where identities, security, and compliance issues can be controlled.

This means with Azure employees can quickly and easily gain access to the apps and data they need, across multiple devices, from just about anywhere. The service is also able to detect and mitigate threats through the use of multifactor authentication and other security methods.

Azure AD provides several benefits, including:

• One identity of all applications
• One place for identity management
• One place for access management
• Security
• Easy to use
• Makes collaboration with external users easier with credentials managed by the IT department
• The service can be either cloud-only or hybrid
• Compatible with a wide range of third-party apps & services
• Offers flexible licensing options

Summing It Up

In this article, we’ve covered some solutions to help keep your laptop and company/personal data safe from cybercriminals. These are cost-effective, easy solutions that can be applied across your entire business. Each security method adds another layer to protect your business and data from the bad guys.

If you’d like additional information on these and other security services, be sure to contact us today. We’ll help you find the security measures that are best for your business.