Amanulla Khan, Managing Director – Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META), Linksys, on work from home trends and how people have been inspired to re-evaluate their home network security.
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our attitude towards technology, including inspiring people to re-evaluate their home network security.
With more people spending a lot more time online for work and education, online security rose to the fore. Parents, in particular, have grown increasingly concerned about their children’s online interactions after screen time doubled or even tripled in 2020.
Additionally, work from home (WFH) trends and the requirement to securely connect to corporate assets also compelled many to bolster their home security. While businesses have generally managed to set up robust security perimeters to protect corporate assets, home Wi-Fi networks remain vulnerable due to a legacy of poor IoT security practices. Attackers can easily exploit security vulnerabilities in home networks or leverage default credentials that remain unchanged to access corporate apps.
Routers such as the Linksys Velop Whole Home Intelligent Mesh Wi-Fi 6 range comes with wireless WPA2 encryption and a stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall. WPA2 uses AES encryption and long passwords to create a secured network (that’s why new routers ask for at least an 8-digit password). On the other hand, SPI is an advanced security mechanism that tracks connections and analyses incoming data packets, simplifying the process of determining which traffic to label as potentially harmful.
Our commercial VPN routers come with built-in business encryption and firewall to not only keep your network safe from malware and other malicious attacks but also enable remote workers to access your business’s network from anywhere securely.
Additionally, we have teamed up with Fortinet to enable organisations to deliver secure and reliable network connectivity for home-based workers. Linksys will work with the global cybersecurity firm to build enterprise-grade connectivity and security into Linksys’ range of Wi-Fi routers.
Productivity
Technology companies have been compelled to optimise their products and services so that home-bound workers can work comfortably and efficiently. While most offices will typically have enterprise-grade tech setups, most consumers maintain only the basic connectivity and technology that caters to personal usage. This basic infrastructure may suffice for sending emails back and forth, but a fully productive home office should be capable of supporting seamless connectivity for accessing enterprise apps as well as communication tools such as video conference calls.
Wi-Fi 6
Investing in reliable wireless systems ensures more reliable Internet and better connectivity to help employees keep up with their job requirements. This is because sharing a Wi-Fi connection with the rest of the family engaged in telecommuting, video calling or downloading large files can slow down the connectivity and affect productivity.
At Linksys, we have focused on expanding our mesh portfolio with the latest wireless technology to deliver a seamless and robust Wi-Fi experience. The Velop Wi-Fi 6 system provides four times higher capacity and 75% lower latency, offering nearly triple the speed of its predecessor. Capable of sending and receiving multiple streams of data simultaneously, the router can handle more than 50 devices, so laptops, televisions, smart-home systems and more can all operate simultaneously. In addition, the Linksys Velop Whole Home Intelligent Mesh Wi-Fi 6 range is part of Velop’s modular system, which means increasing coverage throughout the home is as simple as adding another node (router).
The average home has at least half a dozen connected devices, most competing for the same wireless bandwidth. A home network switch may be advisable for your WFH setup, particularly if you regularly use sophisticated applications for work. An ethernet connection delivers 1GB in real-world applications. A switch such as Linksys LGS108-ME-RTL 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch has 8GB Ethernet ports allowing you to connect not just your PC but also a Smart TV, home cameras and more Quality of Service (QoS) technology helps prioritise video and audio applications for distortion-free conference calls.
WFH is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. Therefore, the home office should be given the same due consideration as a traditional office. The right technology solutions can unleash the full productivity of remote workers.