How to Ensure IT Project Security While Managing Projects Remotely? [Checklist]

Everyone was cooperating at the outset of project management. Work administration, on the other hand, is no longer done in one place. Remote work is becoming more frequent than ever before.

Project management software and remote project management can be extremely beneficial for teams with workers in different locations. By keeping these employees motivated and focused, goals are more likely to be met.

What Is Remote Project Management?

Project management for remote teams involves applying knowledge, skills, tools, and methods to project activities carried out remotely by distributed teams.  And at LevelUP, you can find it all. It incorporates elements of both conventional project management and virtual team management.

Managing a remote team presents difficulties that standard project managers must not overlook. As a result, remote project managers rely on internet project management systems to virtually connect personnel who are geographically distant. Many sectors have shown that they may both survive and flourish if they embrace remote project management in recent times.

What sets remote project management apart from other methodologies is its flexibility. There aren’t any inflexible rules to follow, making it possible to use both traditional and agile approaches. Even a hybrid work management style that brings together different types of work can be supported by this methodology.

What Are the Benefits of Remote IT Project Management for Businesses?

As recent events have shown, the benefit of relying on remote IT project management is that businesses can continue operating even when employees cannot come to work.

There are other benefits as well, such as:

Increased Productivity: According to studies, home workers are more productive than office workers. Since they have fewer distractions and can better maintain a work-life balance, this is the case.

Improved Work-Life Balance: Working in a remote team or a hybrid model can increase morale. A happy staff is a successful one. Whatever you decide between management and staff, it will benefit both. With a reduction in travel time, more time can be spent at home with the family. This might also assist you in attracting workers from further away than was previously feasible.

Lower Costs: With hire a dedicated software team, you don’t have to pay for office space or utilities, which frees up money to grow the business or give your employees’ salaries a much-needed raise. Plus, your team members will save on daily commuting costs like public transportation passes or gas/car maintenance.

Task Management: The management of distributed projects is much easier and more effective today than it was a few years ago. Project managers may now see all of their employees’ work at a glance without being obstructed. Teams can take charge of their projects while providing managers insight into their performance. A planning tool may determine what they do based on detailed descriptions. Teams can then manage their backlog and make sprint plans after that. Ultimately, this results in more empowered teams and higher morale, both of which translate to improved retention and productivity in the workplace.

Communication: The best project management software for remote teams should allow for easy and effective communication. Messages, files, and comments should all be centralized in one place so that everyone can access them easily. Team members should also be able to @mention each other to get someone’s attention. Video conferencing is another great way to keep team members connected, especially if you have team members in different time zones.

IT Project Management: What Are the Challenges?

Despite the many benefits of remote IT project management, there are also some challenges that businesses need to be aware of. These include:

The possibility of decreased collaboration: When employees are working remotely, there is a risk that they will not collaborate as much as they would if they were working in an office. This can lead to silos forming and a decrease in the overall quality of the project.

The need for strong internet connectivity: For remote IT project management to work, employees need to have access to a strong internet connection. For employees living in rural areas or those living in some parts of the world, this can be a difficult task.

The risk of data breaches: When businesses manage projects remotely, there is a greater risk of data breaches. This is because sensitive data is often stored on remote servers that may not be as secure as the company’s internal network.

How Can You Secure Your Remote IT Project: Checklist to Follow

Despite the challenges of remote IT project management, there are several steps that businesses can take to secure their projects. These include:

Using a VPN: A VPN is a great way to encrypt data and keep it safe from hackers. When choosing a VPN, choose one that uses strong encryption and offers a high level of security.

VPNs protect your computers, routers, and smartphones by encrypting data and anonymizing IP addresses. Antivirus software that is effective (and anti-malware tools) is also required. Using both defenses, you’ll be a much less appealing target for snoopers and hackers alike.

Backing up data: It’s important to back up data regularly, especially if it is sensitive. This way, if there is a data breach, you will still have a copy of the data that can be used to continue working on the project.

Restricting access to data: There are a number of things to keep in mind when managing projects remotely, including restricting access to sensitive information. This can be done by using user permissions and creating different levels of access for different employees. For example, you may want to give managers full access to all project data, while giving other employees read-only access.

Using secure file sharing: When sharing files remotely, it’s important to use a secure file sharing service. Using this method, you’ll be able to control at what level the files can be accessed, as well as who has access to them.

Using two-factor authentication: Identifying who a user is, is key to maintaining control over access. For example, someone would need a username and password to get in. By utilizing two-factor authentication, you can double the remote work security by making it, so there are now two necessities for logging in instead of one. In short, it creates an extra layer of login defense.

When you hire developers from LevelUP, you can rest assured that our developers will use two-factor authentication and ensure the security of your project and other essential pieces of information.

Two-factor authentication involves two components. It uses secrets such as a password or a secret question sent to the user’s phone or email in conjunction with a code or a special phrase that goes to their phone. This makes it difficult for malicious intruders to access systems since they are unlikely to have both pieces of data.

The implementation of this security measure is one of the easiest you can do. For system logins, it’s a good idea to do so.

Develop a remote worker cybersecurity policy: A lack of security policy can turn your remote workers into gateways for hackers to access your company data. Every employee, regardless of their location, has the ability to work safely and securely if there is a clear cybersecurity strategy in place.

A policy can help you immensely if created with the proper security protocols for both home and travel. The best way to prevent any complications from occurring in the future is to have a clear guide to follow. Approved messaging programs such as Signal or Whats App should always be used with encryption. Additionally, computer security schedules like updating antivirus software or anti-malware protection should regularly occur. Lastly, establish a protocol for remotely wiping devices in case they are lost, so no sensitive information is revealed.

Secure your systems with perimeter testing: Since testing is critical for any IT project, teams must evaluate how software or hardware will appear to users. This process requires creating various configurations and scenarios through extensive testing.

However, fewer organizations conduct comprehensive cybersecurity testing. Test all possible internet connections to IT systems for breaches. Know how easy it is for strangers to access databases and networks, and what damage they can do if successful.

It’s also crucial to test human behavior throughout the project management stage. You may study how employees employ remote devices or manage passwords, for example. Another thing to think about is auditing how permissions are given to corporate assets and establishing security measures for sensitive data.

Educate employees about cybersecurity risks: One of the most important aspects of IT security is employee education. Your employees are your first defense against cyberattacks; they need to be aware of the risks involved in working remotely.

Ensure to educate your employees about the importance of keeping their devices updated with the latest security patches, using strong passwords, and not sharing sensitive information over email or instant messaging. You should also remind them never to click on links from unknown sources, which could lead to malware installed on their device.

In addition to educating your employees about cybersecurity risks, you should also have a plan in case of a breach. Your plan should include who should be contacted, how the breach will be contained, and how the breach will be prevented in the future.

Use Encryption: It is vital to not only choose an access method for your remote workers but also to ensure that those methods use encryption to protect employees’ data and connections.

The act of encrypting data is essentially the process of transforming it into a ciphertext or code. Those who have the key or cipher are the only ones who can decrypt the data and use it for their own purposes.

Encryption software provides businesses and remote employees with an additional layer of protection. A device with encrypted software is the first line of defense against malicious individuals who have accessed a contaminated device.

Ending Note:
New to remote work project managers may find it difficult to manage projects effectively. However, they can overcome these challenges with the right tools and strategies and ensure their projects are successful. By following the checklist above, an IT project manager can ensure IT project security while managing projects remotely.

The best thing about LevelUP is, you get all that you read above under one roof. We have a culture of working in a secure environment and delivering a  project that is highly secure. We keep the client’s concept, project and source code security at a priority.