Believe it or not, it’s estimated that +300 million global office workers are now working from home. The remote workforce was a thought of the future… But it’s just a reality now.
And not just IT and Marketing workers are part of this group. All staff, including the C-suite, are attending online meetings and accessing the company sites and data via the Internet.
And while the BBC and other sources point out to increased overall productivity, we can’t avoid taking a look at the unanticipated cybersecurity risks implied.
Is your company adequately prepared for the risks and changes in your cybersecurity?
Remote Workforce It’s Not Prepared for Cyber-Disasters in 2022
Probably not.
After all, cyber-attacks are like the COVID-19 virus itself. It may result daunting at first, but all the recommended measures are necessary to not suffers the unthinkable worst-case scenarios.
We’re in what Time called “the world’s largest work-from-home experiment.”
And TechRepublic reports that due to all the unexpected changes, challenges, and threats, it’s not only important but a must, to evaluate your cyber resilience plans.
It’s more applicable when we get the remote workforce into this equation.
What if an employee is manipulated to follow a hacker’s instructions to leak valuable information while pretending to be the employer?
This doesn’t just apply to tech, health, and financial companies (the most affected) but all industries. You must adapt your infrastructure as auto companies design car frames to hold during an accident – not just looking attractive.
How can you do that?
7 Ways to Train your Remote Workforce Against Cyber-Disasters
1. Protect the Remote Working IT Infrastructure
If in the office environment, employees connect to the corporate servers by Ethernet cables and Wi-Fi networks… Then how do you guarantee that they do it securely from home?
The remote workforce is now using a “Bring Your Own Device” approach with their devices. This can either mean, reduced cost of equipment and/or a highly-increased chance of cyber-disasters.
Considering these vulnerable devices connect to the company’s servers, possibly opening the gates to major targetted attacks, then there aren’t many reasons left to assess three vital elements: endpoints, connectivity, and enterprise architecture/infrastructure.
2. Secure Remote Workers Devices
If your company isn’t capable of providing its equipment, then the least you can do is, protect your remote workforce devices.
This includes encrypting access with complex, safe passwords. As well as applying two-factor authentication (2FA) for both devices and applications. To install firewalls and to keep all devices updated. You can also add remote-collaboration safeguards.
3. Make Cybersecurity the Norm Inside Your Business Plans
While the addition of “new norms” can be considered painful, adding new cybersecurity measures to your business plans could be the only possible way to keep it running.
Considering cyber-disasters are now more prone in 2022 than ever, training your remote workforce about the topic is no longer optional.
Remote support, backup teams, and a full-set Recovery plan are now as important as your operational and distribution workflow.
4. Remote Workforce Aware of Cyber-disasters
Besides technical considerations, awareness-building initiatives could be the #1 game-changer and life-saver of your business.
Now that criminals target remote workers individually, then your team must take the time to learn how the digital realms works, to react accordingly in every situation.
This is improved by an empowered, safe remote-working culture between all members.
5. Define Secure Protocols and Proper Employee Behaviors
The speed and scale of the transition led by the global crisis have set apart even the most united teams. Without mentioning that working remotely can be motivating to some, but damnation to others.
To keep the security risks of the organization at a minimum, join together with your IT representatives or talk with our cybersecurity experts to help build the proper lines of defense and behaviors code for remote meetings, digital collaboration, and file sharing
6. Update Overall Security Measures
It’s quite probable that not only your cybersecurity measures are outdated, but your overall security ones as well.
Now is the best time to reunite with your identity management team members to upgrade the “rulebook” of your company.
The new measures have to include limits for the C-suite executives (the most targeted), finance personnel, officers, and assistants.
7. Invest wisely
Without a doubt, desperate times call for desperate measures. Often synonymous with slashing budgets across the board. However, even if not seem important at first hand, cybersecurity shouldn’t be looked at for reduction.
Especially when the nearly $4 million of the average cost per data breach is taken into account, then it’s clear that cutting back on security may result in more expensive.
Of course, that’s doesn’t mean “spend randomly.”
You still have to be careful with the choice of where is better to invest your resources: Tools? Consultants? Prevention or Emergency services?
Good news for you today: our team of cybersecurity experts can help you identify exactly what you need, in a comprehensive effort.
That way, you invest only when you must… Not where you think you must spend.