More and more people decide to become freelancers and work remotely. While some freelancers and remote workers feel okay with staying at home, others can’t concentrate there. That’s why there are so many coworking spaces today. They cover the needs of remote teams, allowing them to work together when they have to, and provide single freelancers with the place where they can focus. But shared spaces are always more vulnerable to hacker attacks. You can start with choosing a reliable antivirus – you can find one at bestantiviruspro.org.
The recent Payoneer’s report shows that in 2019 over half of the millennials began to plan out their own business. And considering that the younger generation feels comfortable with working in a completely remote team, we can expect many of these businesses to operate with all team members working from their locations.
Although having an antivirus is not enough. Alone it will not protect all the people that come to the coworking space. As an owner of a shared working place, you need to take care of many things to provide your clients with privacy and security. Here is a check-list of all the details you need to consider to create a safe space.
Network Security
Public WIFI’s are usually extremely vulnerable to hacker attacks because such networks are rarely taken care of. And while some malls or restaurants will not feel too guilty if someone suffers from data theft or any other threat, the coworking space can’t expose visitors to malicious activity. People might work with sensitive corporate information so the data leak will harm not only them but their companies, too. And the blame will be on the space they were working.
Therefore, you need to take care of the privacy of your shared network. Here is what you can do.
First of all, hire a dedicated security manager whose work will be to ensure the safety of the network. The professional will install all the protection software you need and watch over the system to detect any suspicious activity. Also, they will make sure that visitors follow the required security guidelines so that no one can jeopardize the privacy of the network.
The WiFi hotspot needs to be protected with a strong password that gets changed frequently. By assigning new combinations, you will make sure no one from the outside sniffs out the password and gets into the network. Also, it will prevent old clients who are not using the coworking space anymore from using your WiFi spot.
Finally, it would be best if you created separate networks and access pages for teams that visit your coworking regularly. Since they trust your place, you should make sure you’re not exposing them to the hacker attack. Provide them with their protected network so that they are safer. And let all other visitors use the familiar WiFi spot. Such a simple solution will significantly increase the privacy of your regular clients and let businesses trust your coworking space even more.
Don’t Forget About IoT
Co-workings often become a home for various smart devices such as coffee makers, fridges, printers, and so on. IoT makes it easier for administrators to take care of everything so that all gadgets work as they should. And that’s the beauty of smart devices – once set up they don’t need much attention to operate correctly.
However, the ugly side of IoT is that smart gadgets become targets for hackers. Such items usually are more vulnerable to malicious activity because rarely someone remembers to pay attention to their security. Remember that episode in Silicon Valley when guys managed to hack smart fridges around the world? Well, that’s not fiction, one can do that not just in series, but in real life, too.
That’s why you need to take care of all smart devices you have in your coworking space. Make sure that the hardware is tamper-proof, and update the firmware regularly. If you have that security manager we were talking about, they should be able to safeguard smart devices as well.
Block Suspicious Websites
Some sites are never safe to use. To eliminate the risk of some visitor corrupting the whole network and, consequently, devices of other visitors, block the access to such websites. Then you will have greater peace of mind knowing that no one will pop up on a malicious site.
Check visitors and monitor them
The coworking space might run a quick background check on its clients to ensure they will not jeopardize the safety of everyone. Also, you should have security cameras installed to prevent visitors from getting into places where they shouldn’t be and performing malicious actions with the hardware. Even though usually coworking guests are not some nasty hackers, you need to consider the risk of someone coming to your space and corrupting the network.
Also, we mentioned security guidelines before. Take some time to create a list of do’s and don’ts for your visitors and make sure they read and acknowledge them. The more significant part of data leaks happens due to human error. By educating your clients, you lower the risk of them doing something that might expose the network to malefactors. And even a simple guideline can make a significant difference.
Bottom line
Coworking spaces became an attractive business opportunity for entrepreneurs. Such places are always popular and demanded, and the success of such an establishment is entirely guaranteed. However, there are reasons why coworkers don’t succeed and get closed. Setting the lack of quality service aside, we’re left with security issues being the reason why visitors abandon the workspace.
And it’s easy to understand them – no one wants to expose their and their clients’ data to hackers and suffer from threats. That’s why you, as a coworking owner, need to go the extra mile and take care of the privacy of your network and clients. Then you can be sure you will not harm anyone’s business. When looking for the right coworking space, visit execusuitesinc.com/offic
