Remote Workforce Cybersecurity Holds Unexpected Dangers
The global pandemic continues to shape the way that we live and work. As a result, many companies are finding themselves supporting a remote workforce for significantly longer than they anticipated in March 2020. With the chaos of getting everything back up and running in the spring, many of those same companies are discovering that remote workforce cybersecurity is a little bit different than in-office cybersecurity. This includes a few unexpected pitfalls.
Some employees and businesses did little or no work remotely before the pandemic. They were unprepared for some of the challenges that regular remote workers are accustomed to facing. In addition, many people found themselves in quarantine with their children and other family members who were also working or learning from home in a chaotic and nerve-racking time. That opened businesses up to unexpected risks. Our Enhanced Cybersecurity can help mitigate them.
Distraction & Exhaustion
The distractions are numerous. The kids distance learning, streams of deliveries, a roiling news cycle, unusual work patterns and schedules, and additional home pressures from sharing space. The list goes on. Therefore, remote workers are faced with myriad distractions that wouldn’t be a problem in the office.
As you might expect, distracted workers make mistakes. In a comprehensive study of over 1,000 remote workers, 47% of respondents cited distraction as the main factor in their failure to spot phishing attempts. More than 55% of workers admitted that they were frequently distracted when working from home. Are you distracted? If so, they you can be assured that your staff is as well.
Remote Workforce Creates Isolation & IT Weakness
When workers are in the office, it’s easy for them to as for help with problems or questions. A quick trip down the hall is usually sufficient to solve most IT issues. But when they’re at home, workers are less likely to reach out to for help.
Of the companies surveyed, only 39% feel they have adequate IT expertise on staff to assist employees with remote work issues. Only 45% of organizations reported having enough budget available to address the increased activity and risk.
Endpoint Surprises & Confusion
Some companies faced a hasty scramble to get everyone back to work. They often allowed employees to use their personal computers and devices to conduct business. Even employees who had their work devices handy found the line between using those devices for business and private purposes growing increasingly blurry. This resulted in confusion over BYOD policies and device access common. These remote worker endpoints represent major security vulnerabilities to cybersecurity professionals. Over 55% cite smartphones, laptops (50%), and other mobile devices (48%) as major points of concern as cybersecurity risks.
Protect Your Business from Its Biggest Remote Workforce Cybersecurity Risk Fast
What do all of these remote workforce cybersecurity pitfalls have in common? They’re all problems that are caused by people. The number one cause of a data breach is always human error. And in each occurrence, it’s apparent that the human element is the X factor that exposes businesses to additional risk. By adding one strong security tool, many of these dangers can be ameliorated quickly.
CISOs around the world and institutional experts agree. Secure identity and access management is a top priority for every business in 2021. That’s where multifactor authentication (MFA) comes in. MFA helps stop password compromise based cybercrime like credential stuffing. Talk with your IT professional to find out how to apply MFA onto your company’s devices.
Remote workforce cybersecurity pitfalls are going to continue to endanger businesses that are unprepared. But we can help get essential protection for every organization in place in days. Contact the experts at Rent-A-Nerd, Inc. to get started protecting your business our cost-effective cybersecurity solutions today. 504-301-1094
