Cybersecurity in The Age of Remote Work

After more than a year of extended lockdowns that saw even the largest businesses globally switch to remote working, the work landscape may never be the same. However, one thing that’s become more glaring in this time is that remote working increases the risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches. This post examines the state of cybersecurity in the age of remote working and offers recommendations on how to overcome relevant challenges.?

Top Cybersecurity Concerns About Remote Work

Businesses generally invest a great deal into their technology systems, networks, and devices to ensure they’re well-guarded against cyberthreats. However, all of this changes when employees have to work remotely. What are the key security risks that arise in the age of remote work?

Connecting to Corporate Networks Via Unsecure Devices

With the remote working trend on the rise, employees are increasingly working with and accessing corporate networks from personal devices. In a recent survey,?37% of employees?admitted to using personal devices to access work-related apps. Similarly, 32% used personal devices to access the corporate network and servers, whether in the cloud or on-premise. It gets even worse, as employees have been known to store work documents with personally identifiable information on personal laptops.

Cybercriminals are constantly taking advantage of this rapidly changing pattern. The lack of boundaries between work and personal devices could leave an enterprise exposed to multiple cyberthreats.

Connecting Via Unsecure Internet Connections

Connecting to corporate networks via unsecured internet connections could also leave enterprise data exposed. Imagine remotely connecting to your corporate network via free public wi-fi without extra protection. This could potentially leave you at the mercy of hackers who could easily eavesdrop on your conversations and intercept connections without encryption.

Working From Home May Reduce Vigilance

While working remotely could lead to improved levels of productivity in the workplace, it could also endanger enterprise security. The era of remote working has shown that cybersecurity can no longer be the concern of a few employees. It’s now a joint responsibility. Remote working removes employees from the watchful gaze of an enterprise and while this can boost productivity, it generally means that they may not be conscious of following cybersecurity best practices. This changing attitude towards work can be somewhat challenging to manage.

Employees May Struggle to Identify Threats

Without proper training, even the best of employees could fall for phishing attacks. The bulk of the responsibility of recognizing and detecting phishing scams now falls on every employee’s shoulders. The danger is that while IT departments were previously able to keep up with trends in phishing attacks and other related web scams, employees will struggle to do the same in the remote working era.

VPNs May Become Overwhelmed

VPN overload is another major challenge with remote working. With more people working from home since the coronavirus pandemic began, VPNs can easily become overwhelmed, thereby leaving your systems vulnerable.

Cybersecurity Best practices For The Remote Work Era

Here are the top cybersecurity best practices for businesses looking to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches among their remote workforce.

Establish and Enforce a Data Security Policy

It’s been well established over the years that human error is a leading cause of security breaches in enterprises. For instance, in 2019, human error was responsible for?90% of security breaches?in the UK. One way to reduce this likelihood is to draft a policy document (called an Acceptable Use Policy) outlining the security protocols that employees are expected to comply with. The document should ideally also outline the consequences of non-compliance and the company’s role in encouraging compliance.

Security Awareness Training Should Be Essential

Any organization looking to switch to remote working should be willing to invest in security awareness training. From the latest phishing techniques to other aspects of the evolving threat landscape, enterprises must make the effort to bring employees up to speed. Also, IT support must be readily available to support the remote workforce with security-related issues as they arise.

Enforce a Zero Trust Approach

The Zero Trust approach essentially manages and grants access by continually verifying identities, devices, and services. In the remote working era, the Zero Trust approach can protect enterprises by treating every remote access as untrusted or unknown until they are verified.

Use a Mobile Device Management Solution

Mobile Device Management enhances cybersecurity in the age of remote working by monitoring, managing, and securing enterprise mobile devices. Adopting this solution and ensuring that employees only use corporate devices for work would overall enhance your data security even for your remote workforce.

Regulate The Use of Personal Devices

The switch to remote work has meant that many employees have had to permanently or temporarily use personal devices for work. Where security cannot be guaranteed on personal devices, work-related activity should be restricted to corporate devices.

Regulate Internet Connection?

Employees must be discouraged from using public wi-fi or other unsecured internet connections for their lack of security. In situations where these connections are used, the corporate VPN must be used for all work-related activities.

Invest in And Equip Employees With Essential Security Tools

If you need your team to spend less time worrying about compliance with your data security policy rather than productivity, you’ll need to equip them with the essential tools and resources that they need to stay protected. For instance, password managers, antivirus software, and even a VPN can help employees stay compliant with your security policy while keeping your systems less vulnerable.

Regularly Update All Work Devices And Network Security Systems

Hackers are constantly seeking ways to exploit systems and devices and one way to stay ahead is by regularly updating them. Ransomware has been known to exploit loopholes in operating systems to spread across networks. Keeping systems updated can reduce the likelihood of breaches like this. Where corporate devices are used, your IT teams can use your Mobile Device Management solution to send out updates across all devices.?

Monitor and Evaluate Remote Work Practices

You could also consider monitoring and evaluating your employees’ remote working practices to ensure that they comply with your data security policy. There are many remote working monitoring tools available in the market so be sure to assess which best suits your enterprise. Also, you should inform your employees of what’s been tracked and why.

Onboarding Automation and MDM in The Age of Remote Work?

Onboarding and Mobile Device Management have undoubtedly evolved since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Many enterprises have been forced into full-time remote work, making the virtual onboarding process even more challenging. As a result, businesses are having to figure out ways to address the new normal. Automating or optimizing the onboarding and mobile device management process helps to address these concerns.

Best Practices for Onboarding in The Remote Working Era

Here are some tips for optimizing the onboarding (and offboarding) experience for remote workers based on the current realities.

Partner with a Reliable MDM Solutions Provider

If you’re aiming to quickly bypass the typical challenges and limit the mistakes associated with mobile device management and onboarding, you’ll need to work with a reliable provider. For instance, Ignition IT offers a fully automated onboarding solution that leverages device manufacturers’ solutions like Apple Business Manager and Microsoft’s Windows Autopilot feature, and automated inventory management for a truly seamless experience.

Automate Device Delivery & Retrieval

With many businesses yet to return from the lockdown and having to stick to full-time remote work, getting corporate devices to your employees can be a hassle. However, Ignition’s “Laptop Logistics” service, alongside the use of Apple Business Manager and other similar arrangements makes this a painless experience. Devices are swiftly delivered to employees’ home addresses and provisioned with your enterprise apps once activated. Similarly, the Laptop Logistics service seamlessly retrieves devices from outgoing team members where necessary.

Consider The Non-technological Aspects of Onboarding

While onboarding automation and mobile device management go hand in hand, it’s important to remember the non-technological aspects of onboarding. Factors like providing additional support for entry-level staff or more learning opportunities like security training for new team members should not be ignored. Similarly, helping new employees understand how to set boundaries between work and personal life while working remotely is essential.

The remote working trend will become more prevalent in the coming years. However, with?26% of IT professionals?admitting that their companies do not have a formal policy for remote working, businesses must be more proactive in defending their enterprise assets from the cyber threats that this trend presents. Modern mobile device management solutions offer many benefits that can help businesses overcome some of the security challenges linked with the remote working era.