How to Ensure Cybersecurity for Remote Work in Your Business?

An analyst at a Quebec accounting firm opens her laptop on the kitchen table, connects to the family Wi-Fi—the password for which hasn't been changed since it was installed—and downloads a client's financial statements. Her teenager is gaming online using the same router. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. Yet, the firm's security perimeter has just expanded to include a suburban living room.

The figures cited are from public sources (Statistics Canada, Verizon, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security) and describe general trends, not your specific level of exposure.

According to Statistics Canada, 17.4% of employed people worked primarily from home in May 2025, and 10.0% usually split their hours between home and an external workplace.

Why does remote work cybersecurity require special planning?

Remote work cybersecurity requires special planning because every home becomes an extension of the corporate network, without the firewall, monitoring, or immediate technical support of the office. Remote work is a sign of trust and a valued employee benefit, but it shifts risk to home routers, shared devices, and isolated employees.

Companies that had deployed a secure remote work environment before 2020 are still reaping the benefits. Those that improvised in a rush are often still dealing with temporary access solutions that became permanent without ever being reviewed. Rushed deployment protects business continuity, not data.

Key figures to keep in mind:

• According to the 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, the human element is a factor in 62% of breaches, and the misuse of credentials plays a role at some point in 39% of them.
• Also according to Verizon (2026), only 23% of third-party organizations had fully addressed the lack of multi-factor authentication on their cloud accounts.
• According to Statistics Canada, 16% of Canadian businesses were affected by a cybersecurity incident in 2023, but only 26% had a written cybersecurity policy.
• According to the same survey, 22% of businesses provided cybersecurity training to their non-IT employees in 2023, and 22% held cyber insurance.

How can you secure your home Wi-Fi and the device you use?

A secure remote workstation relies on five settings: encrypted home Wi-Fi (WPA2 at a minimum) with a changed password, a VPN to access the company network, an active firewall, strong passwords, and multi-factor authentication on all applications. None of these settings are expensive. All of them are regularly forgotten.

Avoid public places where you are unsure of the network security measures. The local coffee shop is a known hunting ground for hackers, who can intercept data flowing over open Wi-Fi in an instant. It is for the same reason that we advise against doing your banking there. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recommends never sending sensitive, personal, or professional information over a public wireless network.

At home, change the default password provided by your internet service provider and check that your router is still receiving updates: a router at the end of its life is an open door. Use the equipment provided by your company. If you must use your personal computer, turn on the firewall (Windows Defender is sufficient), keep your antivirus up to date, and create a separate account for work.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and the company network. If it is available, use it consistently. Then, enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible: it is the single measure that neutralizes the majority of credential thefts.

How can you raise employee awareness about the risks of remote work?

Raising employee awareness means teaching them to recognize abnormal IT situations—that is, an ongoing cyberattack—and talking about it often, because an annual reminder is not enough. Remote work cybersecurity is a broad term; people remember concrete examples, not policies.

Scenarios to know: an email asking you to download an app or visit a link; malware that spies on your actions; phishing emails from a fake bank or a fake boss; and phone-based phishing (vishing). Our article What is a cyberattack? details the five most common forms and their warning signs.

One simple rule reduces risk: do not use your work computer for personal purposes. Personal traffic passing through the VPN consumes company bandwidth, clogs the network for colleagues, and multiplies the opportunities for infection. Hackers take advantage of every period of disruption, and an employee who is new to remote work is rarely trained and even less protected.

What should you do when you’re not sure what’s happening on your screen?

When in doubt, it’s better to hold off: don’t take any irreversible actions and contact your company’s IT department, whose technicians are familiar with cyberattacks and will know how to guide you. One click too many costs more than one call too many.

When working remotely, the most reliable firewall is an employee who isn't afraid to say "I'm not sure" before clicking.

IT staff are also the right people to strengthen the security of your applications, operating system, and antivirus software. Make sure everything is up to date: patches fix known and exploited vulnerabilities. Verizon (2026) notes that the median time to fully patch a known critical vulnerability has climbed to 43 days.

How can you build a sustainable and secure remote work structure?

A sustainable remote work structure relies on regularly reviewed access, a highly secure cloud environment, a written policy known to everyone, and recurring training for non-IT employees. Hybrid work is here to stay: Statistics Canada has measured 10.0% of hybrid workers since 2023.

Cloud computing facilitates this structure, provided you understand its impact on the business, and Law 25 governs the processing of personal information, even from a living room in Lévis.

Frequently asked questions

Is a VPN mandatory for secure remote work?

It is not mandatory in a legal sense, but it is highly recommended whenever an employee accesses company systems from outside the office. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel that protects data in transit, including on a home Wi-Fi network. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security lists it as one of the basic ways to protect information outside the office.

Can you use your personal computer for remote work?

Company-provided equipment is always preferable because it is configured, monitored, and updated by IT. If a personal computer is your only option, enable the firewall and antivirus, create a separate user account for work, apply updates, and don't install anything without IT approval. Never use it on public Wi-Fi.

What is multi-factor authentication and why should you enable it?

Multi-factor authentication requires a second form of identity verification (a code on your phone, a fingerprint, a physical key) in addition to your password. Even if a hacker gets your password, they won't be able to log in. According to Verizon (2026), credential abuse is involved in 39% of breaches: MFA is the most cost-effective measure against this risk.

Can you work from a coffee shop or a public place?

Only with precautions. Public Wi-Fi is a known hunting ground for hackers, who can intercept unencrypted data. If you must work there, use a VPN, avoid any transactions or sensitive data, keep your device in sight, and use a privacy screen. Using your phone's hotspot is safer than a coffee shop's Wi-Fi.

What should you do if an employee clicks on a suspicious link?

Act quickly and without blame. The employee must disconnect the device from the network, stop entering any information, and immediately notify IT or the service provider. They will change passwords, check the device, and monitor accounts. A culture where incidents are reported without fear detects issues in hours rather than weeks.