The transition to permanent teleworking is now essential. Countless articles, morning talk shows, and widely circulated social media polls have pointed to this irreversible trajectory. There is simply no recourse to "cancel the chime". What may have started as a need to adhere to social distancing rules is gradually becoming a preference, a lifestyle choice and the norm for some of the UK workforce. Large companies from Facebook and Google to Capital One and Paypal have expanded their options for working from home, as have small and medium-sized businesses: 43% of UK SMEs have switched to remote work within a week of implementation. foreclosure measures in Great Britain. Furthermore, nine out of ten employees want to continue with this arrangement after the lockout. Small business owners are likely to cave in as well, with 57% already considering long-term remote work options. All over the world, employees and employers are recognizing the potential benefits of this new work environment. The most important is the substantial cost reduction. Companies no longer have to spend a staggering amount on office rent, and employees can trade crowded and expensive apartments in the city for affordable housing elsewhere; potentially even helping add new life to chronically underfunded parts of the UK. The hours wasted on long drives are behind us and, for the most part, we are working much more productively. In general, it is a win-win situation for both parties.
The challenges of cybersecurity
However, as with any new venture, a new set of challenges begins to present itself. In this case, these challenges are mainly focused on cybersecurity. With the shift to remote work, a number of risks have emerged. For example, a common business mistake is leaving personal devices unsafe. Understandably, most cannot afford to provide every employee with a corporate device with the latest security software. Rather, they need to be confident that their employees are following the same security protocols that they would in the office. Unfortunately, evidence has shown that this is a risky decision, as home office networks are 3,5 times more likely than corporate networks to be infected with malware. Often, employees do not adhere to security protocols simply due to a lack of knowledge about the threats to which non-compliance can expose them. The shift to remote work has necessarily been so abrupt that many companies haven't had time to implement clear policies and procedures, leaving employees to improvise. This creates a "perfect storm" scenario for cybercriminals. We've already seen a recent spike in malicious activity: The VMWare Global Threat Report found that 91% of respondents globally have seen an increase in cyberattacks due to employees working from home. Whether it's tricking employees, phishing emails claiming to offer the latest coronavirus update, or exploiting overloaded VPNs, bad guys keep a close eye on our vulnerabilities to exploit them for their own gain. personal benefit. So what are some simple steps companies can take to improve their security posture?
Establish cyber hygiene standards
First, companies need to list policies that are clear and easy to follow because it's almost impossible to correct harmful behavior if people don't know what is and isn't harmful in the first place. At the same time, a culture of open communication should be fostered throughout the company, whereby employees can freely ask questions, raise concerns, or report suspicious activity to your security team. The next step is to adhere to basic cyber hygiene standards. This includes making sure all employees have antivirus software installed, update and patch their devices frequently, and use network firewalls. More importantly, employees must learn to use complex passwords. Also, these should not be reused across all accounts and a policy should be in place so that these passwords are changed regularly. The easiest way to help employees in this area is to get them to adopt a password manager.
Reduce the threat of cyber attacks
Lastly, businesses and employees working remotely on home networks would do well to secure their Wi-Fi hotspots by changing default settings and passwords on a router to reduce the possibility of device attacks. connected. All of these security measures are put in place by the UK government as part of the Cyber Essentials programme, which according to research from Lancaster University mitigates 98,5% of cybersecurity risks. By following the process, companies not only improve their cyber readiness, but can also receive certification to prove it to potential partners and customers. SMBs typically lack the budget, experience, and resources to handle cybersecurity on a good day. Now, many are being forced to do so as they navigate an unprecedented economic climate, ever-changing directions being issued around the Covid19 pandemic, and an expanding threat landscape. While these steps may seem simple on paper, they can quickly become time consuming and overwhelming. As such, SMBs should strive to find an understandable and compatible technology partner that can effectively guide them throughout their cybersecurity journey.