In the wake of the current public health crisis, many companies have transitioned to remote capabilities and a remote workforce—virtually overnight. While many companies have found a way to keep their businesses running and their staff employed by tapping into a wide array of remote work and collaboration tools, there are some important legal ramifications to consider as part of your overall business requirements.

At the same time, as companies are embracing a new way of work, they must also re-calibrate their legal checklist and make sure they're taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves, their employees, their clients and their data.

Here are a few important legal considerations to keep in mind as you transition your teams to remote work:

Strengthen Your Authentication

With the vast majority of your workforce working from home, authentication becomes an important line of defense in ensuring control of who accesses your business network, communications and data. If you haven't already, implement two-factor authentication.

This form of authentication relies on two points of verification from a versatile range of options, including text messages, apps and traditional passwords. Google Authenticator, Duo Mobile, Twilio Authy and LastPass Authenticator are all great options.

Reconsider Network Security

Depending on their business privacy and security needs, companies need to decide how they're going to manage network security across a remote workforce. Are you comfortable with employees accessing your network on their own at-home Wi-Fi connections? If not, you might want to consider VPNs or other secure networks.

This is also the time to remind your employees about general cybersecurity best practices, such as how to identify scams or phishing, and avoiding opening links or attachments from unknown senders.

Keep Confidential Information Off Insecure Chat Platforms

Companies need to make sure their employees understand where they can and cannot discuss confidential information. In general, it's best to confine these kinds of conversations to traditional channels, such as phone or via encrypted email. If you are discussing business matters on chat, be sure you're using secure platforms. Establish guidelines for remote teams as to what types of conversations and content can or cannot be shared over chat platforms.

As a general precaution, however, it's a good idea to limit chat discussions to nonspecific information. Avoid sharing any private, confidential information or links to documents.

Be Careful Where You Store Your Data

Along with chat platforms and general network security, companies need to be sure they're storing their data in a secure location. From phone calls and transcriptions to emails, documents, presentations and databases, companies must protect the data they rely on—data that often includes client information. Network-attached storage (NAS) and cloud storage likely offer the best options for remote workers.

Lean Into Automation

The recent mass migration to remote work is a good reminder to companies to automate as many business processes as possible. Manual processes often require employees to be physically present in the office, requires more access and most importantly is most vulnerable to failings and breakages. Now is the time, if possible, to automate established processes you have if you have not already done so, such as systems that incorporate automated approval capabilities to allow executives to approve contracts or other matters remotely.

The Bottom Line

A shift to an almost entirely remote workforce is uncharted territory for many companies, but there are simple measures and precautions that go a long way in protecting businesses, employees and clients. Like any learning process, companies are likely to glean more insights over time about what works for their workforce and business model. These legal considerations can provide a helpful starting point.

Monica Zent is ZentLaw's CEO and founder of LawDesk 360.