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Adopting best practices for cyber security in the office and when working remotely can protect businesses of all sizes from costly data breaches and information theft.

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 found that 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber security attach or breach in the preceding 12 months, equivalent to about 612,000 firms nationwide.

This is down from 50% in the previous year, a drop driven by businesses adopting best practices in cyber security. Some of the precautions taken by British businesses in 2024 included:

We have put together this top 10 cyber security checklist that office workers can follow to better protect data, passwords and backups against would-be threats, as well as to improve cyber security at home for hybrid workers.

Cyber Security in 2026

The fall in breaches in 2024-25 should not be seen as a drop in danger. Instead, it is a sign of better preparedness among UK businesses of all sizes, which in turn is translating into fewer successful cyber attacks.

In order to continue this trend in 2026, firms need to address the remaining disparities in cyber security policies. For example, 76% of the UK’s largest businesses run training sessions to improve awareness of cyber security tips for employees, but this figure drops to just 19% when SMEs are included. (Source: DSIT)

Our list of workplace and home cyber security tips covers ten of the most important issues you can address to protect your data, regardless of the size of your organisation.

Top 10 Cyber Security Best Practices 2026

Below is our cyber security checklist office workers can follow to defend against cyber attacks in 2026 and beyond.

While this list is in no particular order, these are ten of the biggest, most commonly encountered cyber threats, making them the best place to start when planning training on cyber security tips for employees and remote workers.

1. Strong and unique passwords

Weak and duplicated passwords are commonplace among office-based and home workers alike, and they’re still a threat to business cyber security. Nearly three quarters (73%) of UK businesses now have password policies in place to tackle this. (Source: DSIT)

Ideally, passwords should be:

Regularly changing passwords – and preventing reuse of old passwords – is also worth considering, as this can proactively prevent access using old leaked or hacked passwords. For more tips on password management, check out our guide here.

2. Multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires the use of two or more forms of authentication to log in. The most basic version of this is two-factor authentication, sometimes written as 2FA.

An example of this is when logging onto internet banking. You may have a username, a password, a PIN, a security question and/or a unique login code generated by a key fob or banking app.

Only 40% of businesses are using this kind of approach as of the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025, making this an area where the majority could do better. (Source: DSIT)

3. Keep devices up to date

Updating devices is one of the easiest ways to improve cyber security at home and in the workplace. Many updates and software patches are released to close newly identified security vulnerabilities, so it’s important to install them as soon as possible.

Automatic updates remove the burden of remembering to do this. Updates can be scheduled to download in the background at off-peak times and install overnight.

In many cases, modern computers can reboot to the exact same state – including any open programs and unsaved work – although it’s always a good idea to save documents to the cloud in real-time as you work on them.

4. Adopt email common sense

The old combination of ‘scams and spams’ is still one of the most important target points for workplace and home security tips in 2026. Phishing attacks – including fraudulent emails and attempts to make employees access fraudulent websites – were reported by 85% of UK businesses that experienced a cyber attack in 2024-25. (Source: DSIT)

Yet only 55% of businesses have a process in place for staff to follow when they receive a phishing attack. Again, this makes phishing awareness training and clear anti-phishing policies a good prospect when auditing cyber security in the office.

A sensible tip to follow is the five-second rule: Before opening an email attachment, clicking a link or replying to an unfamiliar address, stop for five seconds to consider whether you trust the sender, and to look for anything suspicious like poor spellings and grammar, high-risk attachments like .exe files, and to check the destination URL of hyperlinks.

5. Improve Wi-Fi hygiene

Wireless networks are convenient, but they pose unique risks to cyber security. Three of the biggest threats to tackle include:

  1. Employees connecting work devices to public Wi-Fi
  2. Employees connecting their own devices to workplace Wi-Fi
  3. Members of the public connecting to workplace Wi-Fi

In general, if you want to provide wireless internet access to visitors, you should have a second public connection in place. Keep your private workplace network for authorised personnel only.

The DSIT survey found that just 33% of UK businesses have a separate visitor network, while only 31% require the use of a VPN (virtual private network) to improve cyber security at home for remote workers.

6. Away-from-screen rules

We all need a coffee or bathroom break from time to time, but those ‘AFK’ (away from keyboard) moments can be some of the biggest short-term threats to cyber security in the office, as many employees do not lock their workstation when they step away.

This is a good issue to raise in employee cyber security training, as it’s something that can be improved via a culture of security awareness. Timeout tools that automatically lock the screen after a certain period of inactivity can also help.

Make sure employees don’t have access to change the settings on these – even if you instil the importance of security during away-from-screen times, some will try to deactivate the screensaver or standby setting rather than retype their password when they return.

7. Separating work & personal use

Maintaining separation between professional and personal use of devices is best practice and again, something you can include in home cyber security tips for remote workers, who may be more likely to use their personal laptop for work.

A good way to improve cyber security at home without using completely separate devices is to create an additional user account for work purposes. This can comply with workplace password policies, email security and other precautions.

Having separate accounts or devices for business use can also boost productivity, by reducing employees’ access to the distractions (e.g. apps and bookmarked websites) that may be found throughout their personal devices.

8. Secure backups & cloud storage

Fast wireless internet means there’s no reason why your data should be stored locally on devices that could be lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. Set up secure online backups, ideally in real-time but at least on a daily basis, for all critical data.

This protects you against cyber attacks and other threats to business continuity:

Nearly all medium-to-large businesses surveyed by DSIT in 2024-25 had data backups in place, accounting for 96% of respondents. This technology is affordable to small businesses in 2026 – if you’re not backing up data to the cloud, make this your year to catch up!

9. AI scams awareness

The risk of cyber AI scams is growing at a rapid pace, and should feature on any cyber security checklist office workers are asked to follow.

AI can analyse vast quantities of data to identify vulnerabilities and to mimic specific phrasing used by real-life individuals when attempting to impersonate them. In extreme cases, AI-generated photographs and even videos (with audio) can be used to add to the realism of a scam.

Phishing – already the single most prevalent form of cyber security attack – is finding a new lease of life due to the potential to incorporate AI into phishing attempts. Employee awareness is crucial to combating this, along with creative techniques like the use of ‘safe words’ and other analogue authentication methods that are never typed into the network.

10. Reporting suspicious activity

Perhaps the most important of our cyber security tips for employees is to report suspected incidents, whether or not a breach has occurred. A lack of reporting is one of the biggest risks to cyber security in the office.

This can be difficult for management, because it requires a blame-free culture. Employees, both on-site and at-home, should be empowered to protect business data against theft or compromise, but if an incident slips through the net, they MUST feel able to report it.

Appropriate disciplinary action and/or re-training can follow at a later date, but in the first instance the most important response is to mitigate the breach, secure your systems and comply with any reporting requirements by your industry regulator or ICO.

Start With a Cyber Security Health Check

By focusing on the issues raised in this Cyber Security Checklist office workers can become more vigilant, while taking sensible steps to safeguard systems against cyber attacks, both at work and at home.

For a detailed list of recommendations based on your existing systems and safeguards, schedule your Cyber Security Health Check today.

Our experts will review your policies on everything from passwords and MFA, to AI and email awareness, to give you a list of best practice recommendations that will help to keep your business network safe from emerging threats in 2026 and beyond.

Introduction

For SMEs and local organizations, IT plays a vital role in everyday work, future planning, and business growth. From staying connected with clients to protecting their business data, a good IT system helps the business to run smoothly and stay ahead from competitors. But when it’s time to outsource IT support, the most important question that comes in our mind is: Who should you choose? A nearby local partner or a large national company/ international firm providing IT support services? If you are looking for IT Support Services in the UK, this choice matters more than you might think. Each option comes with its own benefits, depending on how you want to grow your business, how quickly you need IT support and how customized you want the service to be.

What Are IT Support Services and What Do They Include?

IT support  is the team or service that does the following:

It’s just like a doctor for your computer and digital systems. When something goes wrong with your system, IT support comes in, fixes the issues and makes sure it doesn’t happen again. For businesses, IT support services in the UK help people to work faster, smoother and without any interruptions.

What Is the Difference Between Local and National IT Support?

Local IT Support Services:

Local IT support means the IT company is near your business area/ same region.  They can visit your office quickly, when there is an issue. You can have frequent interactions and also they understand local business needs and problems.

National IT Support Services:

National IT support means the IT company works across the country and supports many businesses in different locations. They mostly interact remotely through online meetings/chat or phone calls.

Advantages of Local IT Support Services

  1. Faster onsite response: When something goes wrong, a local IT team can reach your office quickly. Hence, there is no waiting time, and your issues are solved faster.
  2. Better working relationship: With local IT support, you often deal with the same people each time, and this builds trust, clear communication and long term partnership.
  3. Knowledge of local Infrastructure: Local IT providers understand the internet providers, power outrage issues and common tech challenges in your area. This helps them to solve problems faster and more effectively.
  4. Personalized support: Local teams usually offer customized solutions as per the clients need instead if one-size fits all services. They understand your business requirements and provide unique solutions accordingly.
  5. Easy communication : As the location is nearby, face-to-face meetings, discussions and urgent support becomes easier and comfortable.Hence, local IT support feels more personal, secured and reliable for  small and growing businesses.

Advantages of National IT Support Services

  1. Support across Multiple Locations: National IT providers can easily support businesses with multiple office locations in different cities, regions and all can be handled under one system.
  2. 24/7 monitoring: They provide 24/7 monitoring, which means your systems are being watched even after business hours.
  3. Larger Teams: IT team includes a wide range of experts and resources from – cybersecurity, cloud, networking all in one place.
  4. Standard Process and Advanced Tools: They follow clear procedures and use advanced tools, which helps in efficient and consistent work operations.
  5. Easy to Scale as you grow: If you want to expand your business, National IT Support can help without any alterations. 

How to Choose the Right IT Support Services for Your SME ?

Questions to Ask Before Choosing an IT Support Provider in the UK

  1. What is your Service Level Agreement (SLA)?
    – Ask them how quickly they promise to respond and fix issues. This helps you to know what IT support you will get when things go wrong.

      2. How do you keep our data safe?
          – Check if they follow all security standards and have certifications. This shows how serious they are in terms of cybersecurity.

      3. What are your response times?
          – Ask how fast they can respond to issues. Faster response time means less downtime for your business.

      4. Who will support our business?

          – Find out whether there will be a dedicated person/team in charge or a person of contact. This helps in clear communication.

       5. Do you have a local presence?

          – Ask if they can visit your office location when needed. Local IT support can be more quick and helpful when there is any emergency.

Why Choose Venom IT for IT Support Services in the UK?

Venom IT is  a trusted IT support service provider based in Manchester. It has been helping businesses to keep their tech running efficiently for the past 17 years. They offer reliable IT support services across UK businesses. From everyday IT related help and problem fixing to Cloud solutions, Data backup, Remote Virtual desktops, Cybersecurity services and IT consultancy, Venom IT has been the best provider. Our expert team works closely with you, so you get faster responses, 24/7 IT support that lets you focus on your business growth.

Conclusion

Choosing between local and national IT support services in the UK totally depends on your business needs. The right IT partner is the one that fits your size, budget, growth plan, and critical uptime for you. Make smart choices today, and your IT will support your business growth for tomorrow. If you’re looking for Managed IT support services in the UK, then Venom IT would be the right choice. To know more, click here.

References

International Organization for Standardization. (2018). ISO/IEC 20000-1: Information technology — Service management.
https://www.iso.org/standard/70636.html

National Cyber Security Centre. (2023). Small business guide: Cyber security.
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/small-business-guide

Information Commissioner’s Office. (2023). Guide to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/

ITIL Foundation. (2023). IT service management (ITSM) overview.
https://www.axelos.com/best-practice-solutions/itil

Wikipedia contributors. (2024). Managed services. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managed_services