Working Securely

At dxw we care about the security of the data we create and work with. We are a remote first, office second organisation, so it will not be unusual for us to be working in a number of different environments. We need to be aware of our environment both physical and virtual to help us keep data safe. Below are a list of thing that we do:

We use devices that dxw gives us, or approves for us to use. This gives us a head start by managing the security of the device, such as ensuring all devices have disk encryption enabled. (see the device policy)

We ensure that the applications and systems that we use are current, updating software and operating systems promptly. Ensuring we report any issues we encounter to our workplace technology team.

We look after and care for our equipment, so that it functions well and safely, again reporting any issues to the workplace technology team, or our line manager. When we leave our devices unattended we ensure they are locked, and our lock screens don’t show notifications.

We don’t trust systems over which we have little or no control, so we take precautions. So we don’t trust the security of wifi, we might be on a train or in a cafe, so we ensure that all the information we transfer over the wifi or the internet is encrypted, eg https, ssh, no vanilla ftp.

We are only human, remembering passwords is hard, so we use a password manager.

We are vigilant and mindful of the locations in which we work, some will be more secure than others. We are aware of when we might be overlooked, or when others may have physical access to our devices when they are locked or stored.

We know how our devices operate, so we don’t make easily avoided mistakes. Eg, when you have a second screen or projector plugged in does it turn off if you close the laptop lid, or does all the content on the laptop screen just bounce to the second screen, showing it to everyone?

When we share screens on a video call we take care not to share information not meant for the viewers.

Last updated: 14 May 2024 (history)