Secure Remote Work & BYOD Basics

Secure Remote Work & BYOD Basics

Simple guardrails so working from home, on the road, or from personal devices doesn't open a back door into the business.

When to use

When staff work from home or travel, use their own laptops or phones for work (BYOD), connect over public Wi-Fi, or when you want a baseline "remote work security" standard for the team.

Steps

1. Keep work and personal separate where you can - a dedicated work profile or account beats mixing everything on one login. 2. Lock every device with a PIN, password or biometrics, and set a short auto-lock timeout. 3. Turn on device encryption (BitLocker on Windows, FileVault on Mac; phones are usually encrypted once a passcode is set). 4. Use MFA on all work accounts, so a device left on a train doesn't hand over your systems. 5. Keep operating systems, apps and browsers updated - turn on automatic updates. 6. Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive work; use your phone's hotspot or a trusted VPN instead. 7. Secure the home network: change the router's default admin password and keep its firmware up to date. 8. Only use company-approved apps for work data, and don't let family members use the work device. 9. Have a lost-or-stolen plan: know how to remotely lock and wipe devices (Find My, or Microsoft/Google device tools) and who to tell first.

When to call a professional

To set up mobile device management (MDM) or enforce these rules consistently across a team, ask your IT provider or MSP.

ACSC reference: Aligns with ACSC remote working and BYOD guidance, supporting Essential Eight patching and multi-factor authentication (cyber.gov.au/smallbusiness).