Working From Home: The Not-So-New Normal

In March 2020, the pandemic led to more than half of the global workforce working from home. Now, companies are assessing a cybersecurity infrastructure that spans home networks, personal devices, and employees working away from the office.

We’re all aware of the global pandemic. The fact our heart rates raise at the very expression of “March 2020” is indication enough that the moment life shutdown is ingrained in everyone’s psyche. As we approach the 2nd anniversary of this seismic change, we’re now seeing what a mass remote workforce looks like and how it is being secured.

Thanks to a new report by Malwarebytes titled ‘Still Enduring At Home ,’ we can see how remote setups are working and what security concerns are being prioritized. The report pulled information from 200 IT Decision-Makers giving us insight into industry changes.

Mass Change Requires Mass Education

While the shift to remote work has allowed companies to relinquish their office space lease, new investments were needed to create a secure and stable cloud-based workspace.

According to the survey, 71% of IT Decision Makers implemented new cybersecurity training and 74% implemented new tools.

Working from home has changed the devices and applications that employees use to get work done. Most obviously, communication tools were quickly adopted to ensure there was a virtual shared space for collaboration.

70% of respondents said organizations now make greater use of video conferencing platforms like Zoom, use more cloud storage, and rely more heavily on instant messaging solutions, like Slack.

Internal Security Concerns Have Grown

With a remote-work force in place, security needed to focus on how to control company data and how a remote workforce access and share that data.

63% of the IT decision-makers surveyed listed “exposing data or information accidentally” as one of their greatest cybersecurity concerns, while 52% listed the difficulty in off-boarding remote employees and preventing unauthorized future access.

First, there was the challenge of giving employee’s cloud access, but now businesses are tackling the problem of removing that access when someone leaves the company.?

Security Measures are Resource Dependant?

The research reveals an increase in digital tools across cloud services, video conferencing, ID management, VPN, and instant messaging. 71% noted an increase in the use of cybersecurity and antivirus tools. However, 62% said businesses are still struggling to find the right security tools to support employees at home.

Employees Embrace New Tools

71% have implemented new training to enhance security with 54% specifically training employees on how to most securely and compliantly work at home. This is a great way for businesses to reduce accidental data leaks and stop the use of digital tools not sanctioned for work by the IT & Cybersecurity teams.

62% of the decision-makers surveyed said their employees were either “very” or “acutely” aware of the security best practices they need to follow. However, 54% listed training employees on how to most securely and compliantly work at home as a current challenge. It seems despite the enthusiasm, there is much more training to be done.

Although shifting to remote work was originally seen as a security liability, 56% of the report’s respondents said their organizations had become slightly or significantly more secure since they began working from home. While one quarter believes they are still less secure, this shows security is overall improving.

Security Education Can Be Overwhelming

While employees are eager and willing to adopt cybersecurity training and practises, there is a growing number of workers suffering from “fear fatigue.” Workers are feeling stressed and anxious thanks to the ongoing pandemic with a quarter of survey participants reporting employees seem “overwhelmed” by threats and jaded by security procedures.

This feeling of overwhelm is making workers more vulnerable to simple security mistakes. After 18 months of the pandemic, almost 80% of survey respondents reported some level of jadedness or fear fatigue in their organization.

Scammers are ready to take advantage of overwhelmed workers’ reduced focus. While it’s great that the remote workforce cares about company security, the fatigue will outdo their keenness unless employers implement effective programs and strategies to lower stress levels and encourage healthy routines.

Remote Work Is Here To Stay

In the last two years, we’re learnt that it’s not necessary to have an office presence and be a safe and productive workplace. A balance needs to be found where new tools can fill the security gaps while being implemented in a way that empowers employees without overwhelming them.

If you’re an IT Decision Maker struggling to find the right tools to secure your remote workers, check out Kodi Connect’s Networking Events where you can meet peers and learn about new solutions.