Businesses around the world are accelerating their digital transformation plans and adopting new technologies such as cloud and IoT as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In doing so, however, they may have created new opportunities for cybercriminals. And with so many employees working from home these new vulnerabilities are more exposed than ever before.
With so much work taking place outside the office, be it marketing, sales or service delivery, cybersecurity is more vital than ever. Security solutions need to work across all users, locations and devices, protecting onsite and online data, as well as the connection between them.
To achieve this, all parts of your security strategy need to align: from backup, disaster recovery and data management, to network security and availability.
Increased risks from remote working
Over the past year, there’s been a shift from most employees accessing their company network internally, to most accessing it externally. This places the integrity and security of the network under the spotlight.
Without a robust and secure network, remote workers lose productivity and expose the business to additional risk.
Furthermore, with so many now working from home and handling sensitive data remotely, keeping your business safe from remote digital security threats is essential to staying operational and profitable.
Over half have experienced a cyberattack (60%) and admit the time to respond to cyberattacks has increased 56%. 51% also revealed exploits and malware have evaded their intrusion detection systems during the pandemic.
Perhaps most worryingly though, is that 42% of businesses said they don’t know how to protect against cyberattacks due to remote working and 31% don’t require remote workers to use authentication methods.
With cyberattacks on the up and remote working creating more weak points for businesses, it is crucial we have the right cybersecurity in place.
First and foremost, security policies should cover remote workers, who need to be informed and educated about the new security risks.
Once educated about the possible threats, your employees will be able to spot, alert and stop criminals in their tracks.
But technology can help too.
Digital tools for peace of mind
A mobile device management solution can help you manage your employee’s devices, both business and personal, from a central dashboard. Ensuring the right security methods are in place.
Whether that’s remotely patching and updating devices with the latest software or ensuring authentication methods are in place. These can be as simple as passwords, PIN numbers, fingerprint or facial ID.
You can also protect devices with a cloud-based MDM service like VDM Cloud from Vodafone Business.
This provides employees with seamless usage of business apps and tools through any device, while keeping them secure, ensuring only the right people have access to certain types of information.
