For a long time, Starbucks has called itself the ‘Third Place,’ which they defined as the place between home and work.

And while it could be an excellent place for a cup of coffee or to work outside the office, the truth is that if you or your employees ever work from anywhere but the office, they may expose your entire business to danger.

Public networks like those at coffee shops and hotels are virtual playgrounds for hackers and cybercriminals. They love to hang out on these ‘open networks’ and attack people who use them by stealing data and passwords and even bypassing average security to install malware easily.

Others go so far as to create ‘evil-twin’ public networks that others join by calling “hotel guests” and wait for unsuspecting businesspeople to log on so they can hijack their computers.

It doesn’t end there.

Working from home poses its issues, causing gaping holes in your security.

Even if your home network is private, chances are you or your employees don’t have the same firewalls and security at home as you would using the company network.

Even if your employees are careful, are you sure their kids aren’t online clicking on links that let others infiltrate their network? Are kids as diligent about not clicking on e-mail links or opening files as you or your employees might be?

While you may have locks on your doors and a security system on your house, once a child who lives there opens the front door, none of that security matters, and it’s the same online.

But it’s not ALL doom and gloom!

You can protect your business, employees, and family by having an IT company that ensures you have the proper security, systems, and monitoring on these networks.

With the proper security, it can even be safe to work from your favorite ‘Third Place.’

But you can’t assume you’re protected. It would be best to ask your IT guy to show you documentation of how you are covered on public WiFi, at home, or anywhere.

Or you can get an independent third party to check your security and see how your current IT holds up.

For a free 10-minute discovery call where we’ll talk about your current IT systems, concerns, or even getting a competitive bid, you can go to: https://www.acskenosha.com/discoverycall/ or give us a call at 262-942-8572

Absolute Computer Systems is a trusted IT Support provider in Southeast Wisconsin specializing in Small Businesses.