With the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in people working from home, including contact center agents. In the current business climate, many employees seem to be working with confidential and sensitive data. In contact centers, this can include customer contact, credit card information, and more. Naturally, companies must keep this data safe from cyber-attacks so that their customer data is not compromised. Here are some tips for your contact center to ensure customer data remains secure.
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Implement Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
An employee is granted access to their computer after they provide more than one form of identification. It is easy for someone to memorize a password or steal a laptop. Using multifactor authentication can prevent hackers from accessing the device.
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Use a strong password
Hackers don’t have to steal a computer to access the data in it physically. They can access the computer remotely, so setting a strong password that they can’t quickly figure out is best. The company should use a password manager that requires the user to make their password a certain length with upper and lowercase letters, at least one number, and a unique character.
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Encrypt your messages
Data encryption can help protect emails that contain sensitive information. It translates it into a code that only people within the company can access by providing a password. This ensures that scammers who intercept the message won’t be able to interpret the message correctly. Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are most commonly used to accomplish this.
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Invest in antivirus software
Antivirus software is essential, especially if one of the agents clicks on an email that contains a virus. The software will help identify and eliminate the virus before it harms the computer. Additionally, any good antivirus offering should include anti-malware functionality as well.
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Don’t allow family members to use the company computer
Employees must treat their work computer as if they were at the office and not let family members use it. It will help them associate their actions with a data-aware mentality. It makes it easier to control access to sensitive data. Many companies lock down their employee home computers so that the only functionality allowed for users is work-related and secured.
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Use company approved storage
All work and data should be stored in a secure location approved and accessible to the company, such as shared drives or a cloud-based storage system. For work from home teams, it is uncommon to allow any type of local storage.
At Centris, we are PCI and HIPAA compliant and ensure our data protocols are consistently followed, even for our at-home agents. Whether you are looking for traditional voice services, live chat, emails, social media, or text messaging services, you can rely on Centris to provide a high-quality, data-secure experience for your customers. Contact us today for more information.
