[Epidemic silent disposal] Working from home What do you need to know

Discover essential IT strategies for remote work during the pandemic lockdown. This comprehensive guide covers vital actions for employees and IT departments, focusing on remote access, cybersecurity, data sharing, and preparedness for a seamless home office experience. Enhance your remote work efficiency and security with our expert insights

From the beginning of the pandemic in Shanghai to the lockdown of Taicang in April, many emergency control policies have led to the urgent need to make an urgent switch to home office and consideration of the cyber-security during that time. We have summarized the following heads-up’s for your reference, hope to be helpful. 

Actions for emergency control (area/compound/company control and restricted access to the office, or domestic logistic lockdown)

 

What the normal employee should do:

  • Take your laptop home, DON’T FORGET THE POWER-SUPPLY, DON’T FORGET THE POWER-SUPPLY, DON’T FORGET THE POWER-SUPPLY. Believe me, it happens.
  • Also take USB dongles, such as for online banking, golden tax, etc…

What IT should do:

  • Configure remote access, establish remote user groups, assign users to it.
  • For workstation users or banking computers which is hardly to be taken home, virtual desktop (Terminal Server) can be used. Through the remote desktop service, respective clients can be connected. Make sure that the client does not sleep or can be waken up on LAN.
  • Configure emergency data sharing: For example, migrate the on-premises NAS to cloud with user permission identical as before with e.g., O365 SharePoint Online.
  • Security Aspects:
    • Use SSL VPN instead of unattended always on services such as TeamViewer and don’t forget to enable multi-factor authentication; For the above-mentioned virtual desktop users, SSL VPN setting should restrict access to RDS services, and the RDS server should be restricted with only access to clients IP/VLAN through ACL policies. Especially copy and paste permissions should also be avoided to ensure unauthorized data leaking from internal to private PC.
    • Check virus pattern version, Windows update before remote VPN endpoints connect to the network.
    • Don’t forget backup for the cloud fileshare.
    • Emergency user training:
      • Working from home will generate large number of service requests in the early stages, which need to be processed remotely in time. Therefore, to help users become familiar with remote support tools like Windows Quick Assist/TeamViewer to know how to open them is necessary.
      • Cybersecurity training, understanding security risks such as malware sources. It’s better to come along with test (such as the O365 Exchange Online phishing email test) to evaluate the training result.
      • Because the direct face-to-face communication is changed to online mode, especially now much with instant messaging applications like WeChat, QQ, etc. The IM groups should be fixed with members so that no scam can happen.
      • Consider the user’s various endpoints, for users who do not have home computers, only tablets or smart phones or other smart terminals, do a good job of user support and training, and insist on downloading APP from official channels (for Android in China, try to download from manufacture APP store instead of 3rd parties because of the BAN of google framework).

Preparing ahead is always the best

  • Improve the network architecture, establish SSL VPN Portal, establish user groups according to the principle of least privilege, follow the Principle of Microsoft AGDLP, improve user group permissions, and regularly check the correctness of the group members, track the users’: 1. network permissions, 2. application permissions.
  • Train your IT team or adopt IT outsourcing service familiar with remote operation and maintenance, establish a mature remote operation and maintenance plan and ticket system, make sure that no service requests are missed.
  • For long-term consider the cloud data center or hybrid which could enhance your application availability. Consider the zero-trust scheme, no matter where the terminal is, keep the authentication of the client with deployment of EDR/XDR products.
  • Deploy MAM or MDM to manage BYOD or company owned mobile devices.
  • Establish an SOC network security monitoring center or use managed security services to monitor network and data security in real time.

What we can offer

  • 5 x 8/7 x 24 remote support with English helpdesk/Ticket system.
  • Emergency migration to Cloud.
  • Emergency VPN networking.

DELine Suzhou Ltd. 

512 Xiangtang Building, Est. Shanghai Road, Taicang, Jiangsu

Tel.: +86 512 5320 9001

Mail/Teams: info@de-line.net

Web: www.de-line.net

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/delinecn

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From the beginning of the epidemic in Shanghai to the lockdown of Taicang in April, many emergency epidemic responses have led us to urgently switch from home to work and take into account network security. Therefore, we have summarized the following solutions for your reference, hoping to be helpful.

What should I do after an emergency prevention and control (such as regional control, unable to go to the office)?

1.What do ordinary employees do:

a.Take your laptop home, don’t forget to take the power, don’t forget to take the power, don’t forget to take the power, important things three times.
b. Special Dongle equipment, such as online banking, gold tax tray, etc. Take home.

2.What should IT do?

a. Configure remote access, create remote user groups, and assign users.
b.How to solve the security, workstation users or financial computers can not take home, can use the cloud desktop (Terminal Server) remote connection to the respective client, to ensure that the client does not sleep or can wake up the network.
c. Configure emergency data sharing: For example, migrate to the cloud on a local server to use O365 SharePoint Online to retain user permissions.
d.In security:
i.Use SSL VPN instead of unattended services such as Sunflower Teamviewer and enable multi-factor authentication; For the above cloud desktop users, the SSL VPN can only access the RDS service, and the RDS server can access the client based on the ACL policy and at least limit the copy and paste permission, ensuring that users cannot transfer files to the local computer without permission.
ii. Check the virus database and Windows update of VPN terminals directly connected to the network.
iii. Backup should also be considered for cloud storage.
iv.Emergency user training:
1)In the early days of working from home, a large number of service requests will need to be processed remotely, and users will need to be familiar with remote support tools and know how to open tools such as Windows Quick Assist/Teamviewer/ Sunflower.
2)Network security training, understanding the source of malware and other security risks, it is best to test (such as O365Exchange Online phishing email test).
3)Because more of the original communication methods will turn to instant messaging, the IM group should be fixed after the prohibition of adding people at will.
4)Considering the various terminals of users, users who do not have home computers but only smart terminals such as tablets and smart phones should do a good job in user support and training, and insist on downloading apps from official channels.

It is always best to be prepared for a rainy day

1.Improve the network architecture Establish the SSL VPN Portal, establish user groups according to the principle of least permission, improve user group permissions according to the AGDLP principle, and periodically check the correctness of user groups. Define network permissions of users. 2. Application permissions.
2.Establish an IT team or IT outsourcing service that is familiar with remote operation and maintenance, and establish a mature remote operation and maintenance plan and work order processing system to ensure that service requests are not missed.
3.In the long term, consider the cloud data center, consider the zero trust scheme, no matter where the terminal is located, maintain the authentication of the client, inspection, and deployment of EDR/XDR products.
4. Deploy MAM or MDM to support mobile devices.
5. Establish SOC network security monitoring center or use corresponding security services to monitor network and data security in real time.

What can we offer

1. 5 x 8/7 x 24 Remote support
2. Emergency cloud migration
3. Emergency VPN networking

 

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