Contributed by: Francis Lau, Engineering Manager of Seagate Technology

Lockdowns meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 have compelled many Filipinos to shift to living, learning, and working from home for more than a year.

Millions of students enrolled in public schools last year turned to online learning. Companies that have managed to continue their operations had their employees switch to telecommuting. Many Filipino households are now hooked up to the Internet to shop, sell, and be entertained through content streaming platforms like Netflix. The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in the country but also exposed the many problems in the Philippine IT infrastructure.

One of these concerns is the uncovered vulnerabilities in data security. Increased Internet traffic on home networks, which are often used more for recreation and not for heavy school or office work, lacks the enterprise-level of protection. Remote networks – like those at home – join hospitals as prime targets of cyber attacks.

Intersections between school, office, and home mean that we need to take extra steps to protect our home network infrastructures and digital life. To make transitions easier and to better protect ourselves, here are some tech solutions you can turn to make your home a more productive, more connected yet safer place amid the pandemic.

1. Take stock of your digital essentials, which may not just include your devices.

For many of us, moving home can mean dealing with a lot more data than we’re used. We become more aware about how much important data we deal with every day. That doesn’t just mean online textbooks or quarterly reports. That means personalized content such as baby pictures, birthdays, and even TikTok videos that you and the rest of the family decide to record on social media.

Now is the best time to put data storage structure into place or improve the structure you already have. Consider your data needs for your mobile devices, tablets, laptops, desktops, and social media feeds, and come up with an organizational system so you can find everything. The amount of storage space you want as well as the system you want to use will help determine which storage solution will fit best. Seagate’s IronWolf drives complement network-attached storage (NAS) servers well, allowing you to store large files like media libraries over networks and connected devices like smart TVs and tablets.

Keep in mind that a combination of different storage solutions may work best together for maximum data security and efficiency.

2. Use a cloud solution to turn your home into a connected hub.

This solution is best when access is your priority.

Using cloud storage is second nature for so many of us already. A personal cloud storage system designed for a private setting can work through your home or office Internet to form a connected hub that enables you to back up terabytes of files. Your data is stored onsite in your home, to be shared between users you designate, instead of on a third-party service provider.

3. Use an external drive to back up large files locally for easy access.

This solution is best when capacity is your priority.

When working on a final project, every moment counts. Large, important files can be tedious to download from a server. Use an external hard drive to keep and backup your files without slowing your work down. Your external drive can act as an extension of your desktop or mobile device. Depending on the model, Seagate’s Backup Plus drives can be portable, stationary, and are usable between Mac and Windows-based computers.

4. Use a portable SSD to take and store essentials with you on the go.

This solution is best when speed is your priority.

We’ve all been there before: crunch time, as we’re pushing last-minute work. In this case, a portable solid state drive like the Seagate Ultra Touch SSD might be the best fit. For those with lifestyles and work that require quick changes, the drive keeps projects-in-progress safe with you as you move throughout the day. The system can back your files up continuously and slip into your bag for easy storage. It still can store around 1TB of information (think 400 Netflix movies).

5. Create physical and digital boundaries.

It may not feel like you have much physical space between your work and your home life now, but even simple boundaries in place can help future-proof your work. For example, your pet, thrilled at his sudden surplus of company, loves to play with your keyboard! Put your computer to sleep when you have to run to the kitchen and set ground rules about who can be in whose space at what time. Maybe you work with a closed door and your pet on the other side of it. Maybe there are no phones or laptops at the dinner table. This protects your time, productivity, and devices.

Today, many aspects of our daily lives are data-driven. Protecting and streamlining our digital assets will go a long way toward future-proofing our businesses and education, while also creating time and space for us to have quality moments with our loved ones.