Re-evaluating corporate cybersecurity needs in the era of remote work

By Anthony Spiteri, Senior Global Technologist, Product Strategy at Veeam Software

Time does not wait for organisations to be well prepared before it encounters a cyberattack. When it comes to the threat of ransomware and hacking, all organisations are equal. While these threats have pushed many Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to intensify their security efforts, the reality is that almost any computer system is vulnerable to a breach.

Organisations should shift their focus toward IT strategies to balance security and availability. It is important for businesses to prepare for the road ahead, especially in today’s context where we are seeing a rise in telecommuting.

Preparing for flexible working arrangements

The recent pandemic has brought upon a new normal; namely remote working. Many have gotten comfortable with the idea of telecommuting and we can only expect employers to be more flexible with work arrangements in the near future. With remote working, comes a number of measures that need to be put in place to allow a safe working environment for all employees. Having a huge spike of storage access coming in from an external source will create opportunities for malware to sneak their way in.

Businesses need to ensure that measures are put in place to ensure that their systems remain secure – in this instance, they need to review some of their security polices and systems. There are plenty of IT solutions available to protect cloud and data servers to support flexible workflow systems, including the implementation of robust cloud data management strategy, as well as offsite and offline backups. Having the proper backup solution will protect your data against unauthorised access.

Staying vigilant and secure

According to the 2020 Veeam Data Protection Report, the No. 1 challenge that will impact organisations within the next 12 months is cyberthreats. Having the best data protection solutions will be rendered pointless if employees do not practice safe working habits. Organisations need to start raising awareness and urgency on the importance of cybersecurity. As with any illness, the best cure is often prevention. Employers should ensure that it is a united responsibility across all departments to practice and implement cybersecurity measures.

Additionally, the roles of CIOs and CISOs are two of the most important positions that organisations need to consider. Through the report, 44% of organisations within the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region mentioned the lack of IT staff skills or expertise as one of the leading factors that prevents their organisation from moving forward in the journey of digital transformation. Having a CIO or CISO in the mix will provide businesses with additional layer of professional advice when it comes to the recommendation of security systems that need to be deployed, as well as strengthen IT protocols internally.

Protection strategies

Many organisations only think about data protection after they have been impacted by cyberattacks. Often, when this happens, they rush into it and end up not analysing their overall needs and requirements. For a start, they need to start planning for data protection strategies to cover all bases – including present and future.

One approach to plan for data protection strategies is to always have the mindset that a cyberattack can happen to anyone without any warning. This will force organisations to think of a well-rounded approach to protect all areas of their data.

As we transition into a new normal in the next few months, we are stepping into unknown territory. With that in mind, it is no harm to ensure that measures have been put in place to protect data. A great tip is to always view cybersecurity and data protection as a journey rather than a destination.