2020 challenged us to make drastic changes to the way we engaged with our work. Not only that, it challenged us to implement those as fast as possible. For many of us, this change was riddled with uncertainties – how safe is remote working? How easy is it to set up? Is it reliable?
Given its arguable status as the year’s biggest technical disruption, the newly-remote workforce was new territory for many businesses – and as such, misconceptions, misunderstandings and half-truths followed. With the dust finally settling, what are the comforting lies, the inconvenient truths, and the reassuring facts around remote working that those yet to make the move should know?
Remote Working Jeopardises Company Data
Remote working probably won’t, but bad security will.
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), strong password policies, MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) and Remote Desktop controls are some of the many ways businesses can protect their users’ endpoints and, for many businesses, these won’t require any further hardware or software investments.
Your remote working solutions are likely delivered by such Cloud service providers as Microsoft, Google and Amazon Web Services. As you’d expect, these technology giants take their users’ security just as seriously as you do, protecting their solutions with the most stringent cyber security available. With the exponential increase in remote workers this past year, the fact that no attempted breach has ever been successful is a reassuring statistic for secure remote working.
Secure Remote Working is Harder to Manage
Most businesses might not have anticipated a remote workforce in the past year, but tech giants most certainly have (if not, actively encouraged them!). As such, common software such as Microsoft 365 is designed with endpoint security in mind.
Gradually, security will be less about your onsite solutions and more about endpoint security: your users, devices and incoming connections. Piece by piece, your protective measures will start to move offsite.
Reassuringly, this will be more of a transition than a leap. The Hybrid Cloud exists as a popular, manageable middle-ground for almost any business, keeping users protected without the need to amend onsite security – or, more drastically, abolish it.
The modern workplace will almost unanimously favour mobile workers, so treat this process as an evolution; a business simply laying the foundations of its future.
Knowing the types of phishing employed by cyber criminals can be the difference between suffering a life-changing attack and business as usual. So, educating your team on avoiding phishing attacks should be company policy, especially since remote work isn’t going anywhere. Click below to learn more about our cybersecurity training services and how to avoid phishing.
Cybersecurity training services
Next Blog: What Is A Business VPN & Why Do I Need One?