The pandemic has drastically changed the way we work, and most companies today are remote-friendly, hybrid, or operate completely in a remote capacity. In 2021, 42% of companies allowed hybrid working schedules, which has now gone up to 81% in 2024. While this provides a slew of benefits for both companies and individuals (like no office building rent or big overhead and more work-life freedom and proven productivity for employees), it can make connectivity speeds and more importantly, online security, much harder to obtain. Traditional approaches to network access and security may no longer be sufficient due to digital advancements and a rising risk of cyberattacks. Cyberattacks involve unauthorized use of your company’s internal data by a third party, which can lead to data breaches, loss, and manipulation. Organizations often face a financial hit picking up the pieces after a cyber-attack and their customers might lose trust in them.
In years past, firewalls and virtual private networks (VPNs) were the status quo to protect company data, but now with hybrid work, they are no longer sufficient to keep your company’s information safe or your employees productive. Firewalls and VPNs rely on fixed, rules-based policies to determine access. The blind spot here is that the network can be exploited by attackers, so your information isn’t as secure as you thought. What’s more, firewalls and VPNs don’t provide sufficient visibility into network traffic, making cyber attacks go unnoticed.
Arising Challenges for Hybrid Work Models
Having employees spread out across a country (or the world) involves having more devices and networks in various locations, unlike the traditional corporate workforce that’s been tethered to an office configuration that makes secure access easier. With more devices (such as a laptop, tablet, smartphone, and desktop), and employees scattered everywhere, cyber threats are now that much more of an issue. This increases the risk of phishing, malware, and ransomware.
Although companies are trying to get ahold of the issue, maintaining consistent security policies across various locations and devices can become quite a challenge for hybrid work. Typically, hybrid work models expose sensitive data and systems to a wider audience than operating from one location, posing a challenge to the cybersecurity of both the organization and the individual working on these devices.
How to Improve Security for Organizations’ Future
Because hybrid work is relatively new for most companies, the “kinks” are still getting worked out. But before you decide to throw in the towel altogether when it comes to working remotely (studies have shown hybrid workers are often more productive and successful), learn a few crucial steps to ensure your data is safe so you can work remotely worry-free:
- Adopt a Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTA) approach – This security framework assumes no user or device should be automatically trusted within a framework. Instead, it uses a variety of security measures to verify a user’s identity, device security posture, and network permissions before it is granted access. Everything is tracked and logged.
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) – This multi-step account login and password process helps keep unwanted users out. This goes beyond just asking for an email and password, people will be prompted to enter a code that’s sent to their email, answer a secret question, or even scan a fingerprint.
- Regularly perform risk assessment – It’s important to put these extra security measures in place when it comes to gaining access to your organization’s network, but it’s another thing to track and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Organizations need to consider both internal and external threats and identify the hardware, software, and network infrastructure in use. This assessment should be thorough, systematized, and regularly performed to ensure any relevant risks are identified and addressed.
- Invest in security training for employees – Don’t just rely on IT to do all the cyberattack security for your organization; educate yourself and your employees on what to look out for. It’s important to educate on these topics so employees’ awareness is heightened when it comes to assessing security risks and keeping information safe.
- Implement a security solution that works for on-premises and hybrid workers – For workers who are onsite at a branch or campus (whether in a full- or part-time capacity), it’s important to have a security system in place. Universal ZTNA (zero-trust network access) is extended to a centralized point (such as a campus environment). This provides numerous benefits, including security gap elimination, unified policy, enhanced visibility, simplified operations, and modernized pricing models. This can also enhance on-location network performance.
- Ensure the security solutions chosen do not have a significant impact on hybrid workers – When choosing security solutions, it’s crucial to consider their potential impact on hybrid workers. Testing these solutions in an office setting does not necessarily provide an accurate reflection of their performance when used by employees working from anywhere. Many technologies, such as Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Software Defined Perimeters (SDP), and Virtual Private Networks (VPN), can significantly reduce a remote worker’s effective bandwidth. These technologies can decrease the bandwidth by up to 98%, transforming a 100mbps link into a mere 2mbps link. This reduction can profoundly affect productivity and collaboration. Therefore, it’s essential to select security solutions that can maintain high-performance levels without compromising security, even in remote work scenarios.
Conclusion
Gone are the days of taking basic cybersecurity measures. It’s now time to invest in resources and software to educate yourself and your employees, implement these strategies in your networks, and have strict rules around login access so you can focus on your work (and not on cleaning up the mess after a cyber-attack). Overall, you need to create reliable, fast, and secure remote access to ensure that there is seamless network connectivity to minimize the risk of security breaches. By taking these extra precautionary measures, organizations can safeguard their networks and data while enabling hybrid or full-time remote workers to stay connected, safe, and successful.
