Securing Flexible Work: Balancing IT Security and Flexibility

In the past two years, our way of life has seen significant shifts. While some of these changes may be temporary, others are likely to have lasting effects on how we live and work in the coming decades.

The traditional 9-5 office job with fully secured IT systems might not be as practical as it once was. However, there are ways to offer employees the flexibility to work remotely or in a hybrid model while ensuring the security of your IT policies.

Although hybrid working presents greater challenges for IT teams in preventing cyber threats, it also offers benefits for both the company and its employees. Flexible working can enhance work-life balance for employees and lead to potential efficiency gains and cost savings for the company.

So, how can IT support deliver both flexibility and security through robust data protection and a quick, secure infrastructure?

Recognizing the Risks

To attract and retain top talent, employers need to provide some form of flexible working, supported by adequate IT infrastructure and tools that enable seamless work both in and out of the office. The strategy should be to embrace this new paradigm and develop the best possible IT plan to minimize risks.

Here are the primary heightened risks associated with remote working:

• Data Breach: Strong password policies and multi-factor authentication are increasingly crucial to make it harder for hackers to access critical corporate data.

• Employee Devices: Personal devices used by employees may already be infected with malware, representing a clear vulnerability that must be addressed. Ignoring this issue could allow malware to infiltrate the company’s network.

• Phishing Emails: Phishing is the most common cyberattack carried out by hackers. Remote workers, who rely more on digital communication and may use their own devices, are more susceptible to these attacks due to their separation from management and IT support.

• Insider Threats: Remote employees may feel isolated and distrustful of their colleagues. This, coupled with a lack of oversight, could lead to an increase in insider threats, where disgruntled employees leak data or intentionally introduce malware into IT systems.

Now that we’ve identified some of the heightened risks, how can we mitigate them?

Cybersecurity Education

Engaging an IT support provider specializing in cybersecurity and remote work training is a great first step in educating your employees about potential risks. This type of training was crucial before the pandemic and is even more so now.

Providing cybersecurity training and enforcing strong password policies is an excellent way to make flexible working more secure for the company. While working remotely, training can be expanded to cover network security, IT policy updates, and even mental wellness.

Given that phishing poses a significant threat to remote workers, it's essential to prioritize training employees on not clicking on links or attachments from unknown sources without verifying their safety.

Securing Devices

While antivirus software is a good starting point, additional measures are necessary to ensure devices are secure from hackers and viruses.

• Passwords: Passwords, as long as they are secure, offer a good level of protection against attacks. Employees should create long, complex, and difficult-to-guess passwords. Hackers often scour social media for clues to guess personal passwords, so using a password manager that encrypts and securely stores passwords is recommended.

• Multi-factor Authentication: This is a great way to ensure that the person logging in is legitimate, even if it takes a few extra seconds to log in.

• Device Maintenance: Devices should be secured with a PIN or password, and features like fingerprint or face recognition should be enabled. A brief timeout option should be set so that devices lock themselves after a few seconds of inactivity. It’s also crucial that all devices have the latest operating system updates and that all other software tools and applications, including antivirus software, are updated to cover the latest known malware signatures.

• Additional Measures: Data encryption can provide an extra layer of security, ensuring that even if hackers intercept sensitive data, they cannot decode it and harm the company.

By integrating these strategies, companies can strike a balance between employee flexibility and IT security, providing a secure working environment that supports the needs of both the organization and its employees. For businesses in the area, seeking IT support Kent can be a beneficial step toward achieving this balance.