Remote desktop access is an essential in these days when businesses are expected to be responsive to their clients almost 24/7. But, did you know that remote desktop access, while almost indispensable now, can threaten your network security? In this post, we discuss a few best practices that you should engage in for safe remote desktop access.

Have your basics in place

Make sure your security basics are covered. Your systems should be secured with the latest Firewalls, anti-malware software and up-to-date with all security patches and software upgrades. Another item on this list is passwords. Make sure you are following good password hygiene such as no password sharing, setting secure passwords, not repeating passwords, etc.,

Train your employees

Train your employees who will be accessing your network via remote desktop connections to identify cybersecurity threats and steer clear from them. Educate them to identify phishing links, clone sites, dubious attachments, etc.,

Use multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication adds a layer to security and is especially important in case of remote desktop authorization. Multi-factor authentication works by confirming the identity of the user across 3 areas–what they know, what they have and who they are. User IDs, passwords, secret questions, date of birth, etc., fall in the first category (What they know), while One-Time-Passwords (OTPs) sent to their smartphone, a physical token or an access card belong to the second category (What they have) and the third category (Who they are) includes biometric authentication such as retina scan, fingerprint or voice recognition.

Be careful: remote access isn’t about data security. 

There may be a bit of misunderstanding about remote access. The point of it is to allow you, your MSP, or other trusted support to gain access to your PC for any number of reasons. Collaborative work, perhaps or even to help walk you through a tech issue you aren’t able to handle. It also allows one to access your office PC remotely. Access data on your office PC while you are in a hotel 1000 plus miles away. These are all conveniences which can enable working offsite. However, to over simplify, remote desktop access is primarily about information access to a particular device. The cloud can offer some similar features, but storing data and access in the cloud can offer, aside from anything else, significant data protection. In short, understand that remote desktop can be valuable—some of the value overlaps with sharing features that arrive with cloud–but don’t assume that remote desktop is a tool to protect your data against a security breach.