Data protection law requires companies to put in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of processing, whether it be in the office or in the comfort of your living room. We understand that keeping in touch and communicating with your team is crucial and have therefore listed our top five tips to ensure data protection does not become a barrier to productivity:

1. Only use technology that is approved by your employer
Work-provided hardware or software will have likely gone through some sort of vetting process and is therefore a much safer alternative then the use of personal devices. Privacy settings and system updates can also be applied at the administrator level on a work device and can therefore guarantee an optimal level of data security. Unless specifically authorised, avoid storing information on your personal device. Also, where possible, only use your employer's trusted networks and cloud services and ensure that data is backed up if stored locally.

2. Use secure forms of communication
There are several video conferencing software tools available on the market. Ensure that the solution you use offers end-to-end encryption on video calls, is not sending data to third parties without your approval and offers enhanced security and privacy features as standard (such as the use of a lobby or password access to a meeting). For emails, make sure you are sending it to the correct recipient and that all attachments are encrypted/password protected.

3. Be careful with paper records
It is important to note that data protection law also applies to personal information in manual form if it is intended to be a part of a filing system. If you are working remotely with paper records, consider security and confidentiality by keeping them locked in a filing cabinet when not in use and disposing of them securely when no longer required. You may also wish to return the papers to the office if you are unable to securely store or dispose of them at home. Lastly, try to maintain a written log of records and files that you have taken to ensure information is not accidentally misplaced and that others know its exact whereabouts.

4. Follow your organisation's policies and procedures
If staff ignore procedures and policies, then they risk breaching key data protection principles. Your organisation will have developed an approach to ensure remote working is safe and secure and policies act as a way to communicate what is allowed and what is not. Do not be tempted to circumvent what is permitted by your employer (eg, sending emails through a personal account) simply because it is more convenient.

5. Consider confidentiality and unauthorised exposure
When working from home, try to ensure personal data is not seen by family members or those who you live with. This can prove challenging if you are sharing your home working space. However, try to hold confidential conversations somewhere where others are less likely to overhear you and position screens and papers, so they are not visible to others. Data protection law would consider family members to be third parties and information must not be shared with them as a result.