To reduce the spread of coronavirus, businesses ranging from MNCs to local SMEs have implemented work-from-home (“WFH“) arrangements; in some cases, remote working is a necessity due to social distancing regulations. Heavy reliance is placed on the internet for remote access and online communication, causing an unprecedented surge in internet traffic. This has resulted in an increase of data privacy risks among other issues, such as significant reductions in Internet speed. Employers should ensure that the IT infrastructure of the business is secure and aim to mitigate risks of data breach.

Typically, office networks are better protected against data loss or privacy risks as they will have installed institutional protections such as virtual private networks (“VPN”), firewalls, stringent anti-virus software, and whitelisted IP addresses; a typical home network is unlikely to have such protections. Employers may consider the following points for the most effective safeguards of data privacy.

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