Working from home is all kinds of cool, and is also fraught with dangers and complications, not least of which is security.

If you've been around the digital block, you might already know how to keep the bad guys at bay, but now you're a fully fledged remote worker, we've got some more advanced knowledge to drop on you.

Use a VPN (No, not that one)

It's hard to read a security guide and not have a VPN recommended. VPNs are usually recommended as a way to increase your anonymity on remote sites, and prevent sneaks from sniffing your bank details and other personal information when you're casually surfing the web at your local cafe.

That's not the kind of VPN I'm talking about here.

When working from home you want you may be asked to use an employers VPN. This will allow you to connect directly to the company's network, and access the resources available within.

Another way some companies use VPNs is to secure company assets so that they are only available from certain IP addresses. If you're a remote worker without a static IP address, you can use a VPN with a known address to ensure access to critical infrastructure, and as your actual IP address remains unknown, you'll increase your own privacy in the process!

Use a password manager (but keep things separate!)

Password managers are another staple in Internet security checklists, and for good reason. They help keep all your accounts secure by discouraging password re-use, and you won't ever again struggle to read an old password off a faded sticky note.

But it's a good idea to keep your personal passwords separate from your work credentials. This makes it easier to hand off your work when you're done, and might save you the embarrassment of accidentally sharing your Tinder details with a remote co-worker.

Be careful where you save your work!

When you're working remotely, you'll likely be in your own space, using your own computer, so it might seem natural to dump that documented on your desktop with everything else.

This isn't just bad practice tho, it could end up costing you time and money, or exposing personal information you hadn't intended.

As with your passwords, it's good practice to keep company and personal files organised separately. This not only makes it easier to hand off work to co-workers, it'll help ensure you don't misplace work, or accidentally committing personal information to company repositories.

There'll be more work from home tips in the coming weeks. If you found any of our posts useful, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter below, and if a company you work for needs help getting organised, get in touch.