Authored by Jerry Jalaba, Director, End Point Security Solutions, Dell Technologies
It’s no secret that the year 2020 has witnessed a rapid surge in remote work and it has acted as one of the pivotal grounds ensuring business continuity. What was once a ‘good to have’ option has now become an imperative. But with the freedom and flexibility of working from anywhere, organizations have witnessed a rise in challenges related to cyberattacks. Around 66% of organizations in India had at least one data breach or cybersecurity incident since shifting to a remote working model during the current situation1.
The luxury of remote work comes with a number of downsides, which are not just confined to the privacy risk of the remote workers but may also result in breaching an organization’s security. The top major concerns of remote work include home Wi-Fi security, phishing scams and insecure passwords.
Entering a new wave of cyberthreats
Smart technology may have made work and connectivity smarter, but it has also made way for smarter cyber threats. With the sudden rush towards digitalization and remote work, some of the security obstacles that many IT managers are grappling with include exploited VPNs, misconfigurations in cloud environments, and overlooking cybersecurity guidelines and policies.
And some of the most eminent reasons are:
- Inadequate security measures on BYOD and mobile devices
- Tracking assets on the cloud
- Insufficient backup and recovery systems
- Overlooking General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliances
To facilitate a secure remote working environment for the distributed workforce, organizations must now ramp up their cybersecurity efforts. From leveraging trusted devices to integrating end-to-end security solutions, business leaders need to look at technologies that help in monitoring, detecting, and preparing end-users for unexpected cyberattacks.
The imperative of keeping remote workforce secure with the right plan
It is crucial for IT Managers to ensure that the teams follow applicable security guidelines, plans and policies, top-down.
Network Security: Remote employees should be advised not to use insecure public Wi-Fi and to make sure that the personal Wi-Fi network is set up securely with a unique and strong password. It is also advisable that remote employees use VPNs to help maintain end-to-end data encryption.
Personal Devices: Many remote employees may not have a choice but to use personal devices and home networks. Under such a scenario, employees need to audit their home environment for vulnerabilities, including Internet of Things devices, which needs to be protected with authentic passwords and updated software. And for companies allowing access to cloud services, enforcing endpoint security rules and customized firewalls is unavoidable.
Authentication and Authorization: Along with a solid firewall and password protection, there is also an increasing need for multifactor authentication and monitoring access controls.
Securing Collaboration Apps: Collaboration apps open opportunities for hackers to infiltrate enterprise networks and access sensitive data. Enterprises must have full control over these platforms and make sure it is fully encrypted.
With all the security protocols in place, one can never be too sure of how secure or careful a remote worker can be. This is where the ‘Zero-Trust’ framework comes in. The main idea behind this framework is - trust no one. It involves constant authentication and authorization. And to build the framework, it is vital to capture all the physical and digital footprints of the end-user’s access to the enterprise applications and services, to understand the user behavior in the system and allow access accordingly.
Dell Technologies ensuring remote work security through trusted devices and endpoint solutions
At Dell Technologies, we believe that to keep every endpoint secure in a remote work environment, businesses must concentrate on protecting the distributed data across the edge, core, and cloud. With our endpoint protection solutions and cloud protection, we empower businesses to secure their distributed data and also retrieve lost data.
With our broad portfolio of products, services, and solutions, we enable workforce productivity through end-user collaboration and communication tools that are vital to working from anywhere. Our infrastructure readiness solutions, with resources and expertise, help businesses to support the ever-increasing number of work-from-home employees.
We continue our commitment towards our partners and customers, bringing them innovative solutions to stay resilient and to secure their business in this dynamic age. Our objective is to help businesses thrive through any disruption!
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