Setting up a virtual remote company - part 3
hopefully you have enjoyed the first two posts on how to set up a virtual business. This last post will focus strictly on those apps and services that maximize your security and privacy.
Let's start with the basics - your internet connection and how to secure it:
- Router - adding a router creates an additional barrier to accessing your hardware and the data stored on it. You can set a list of devices that can connect to your router by limiting them to devices authorized by you utilizing their unique MAC addresses
- VPN - layered on top of a router creates an additional layer of protection, by spoofing your IP address and also letting you choose your location IP to access services and websites that you cannot access without a VPN service
- Wires - the use of network cables to connect your devices make them less susceptible to hacking, and cannot simply hack your wifi. Network cables will also provide you with a more stable and faster connection than wifi affords. If you are going to be using a wifi network you should consider changing the settings to not broadcast the wifi. To connect to it, you will need to search for it by name and manually configure everything. This only hides the name, but you can't hide the acitvity.
Data - what every hacker is after
Hackers want to steal your sensitive data, either to sell it or for ransomware purposes. These tools will make their task a lot more difficult:
- Virtual desktop - utilizing a virtual desktop means you are using resources located elsewhere by opening a browser window. The software you use is installed on this virtual machine instead of your actual computer. The biggest advantage of this set up is that you can choose to just toss your hardware and buy a new machine without losing anything. This also requires you to have nothing saved of your physical hardware.
- Cloud storage - this will allow you to save all of your files directly onto the cloud. You can also combine services to ensure you have no down time. You can purchase cloud storage as a separate service, use cloud storage built into other service that you use such as your virtual desktop, Google Cloud, Microsoft Onedrive and the like.
- Cloud client portal - utilizing this service allows you to store documents containing sensitive information into a postal that only you and your client can access. This ensures sensitive information cannot be found in your email, and helps secure the data.
Utilizing the combination of the above three will mean that any ransomware attempt of your computer will not be successful as your hardware contains no information of any value.
Passwords
Most have a tendency to create one or several passwords that are easy to remember and utilize them across various accounts. This makes it incredibly easy for hackers to access your various accounts and information. Using a password manager lets you generate unique passwords for each account based on the requirements which is then stored securely and only you can access. The best password managers use a master key which you must keep in the event you get locked out along with with a unique password phrase to access the passwords once you have added the password manager to a machine.
Insurance
If you have a business you may already have liability, director & officer, errors & omissions insurance coverage. For extra piece of mind you should consider adding data privacy coverage in the event that everything has failed and your data has been breached and compromised. In Canada and the U.S. most commercial insurance packages include this component these days, but in case it doesn't it can certainly be added in.
Part 1 - overview of creating a virtual business can be found here
Part 2 - how to create a fully virtual environment can be found here
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