Threats are an acknowledgment that you are growing, and data keeps receiving them from all ends. Passwords, users’ sensitive information, Social Security numbers are facing constant threats. Initially, most businesses followed a primitive technique when they closed down each and every outgoing channel so that data can come in from verified sources, but all the processes on the data are performed in the siloed systems and then the data is transferred only using a single secured channel.

Such a process was a better form of technology in the 80s when both the data volume and networking speed was slow. However, when you see today’s systems, they are much more dynamic, and the silo technology doesn’t even exist. You have data going in and out at a speed that even your IT teams cannot tell you. With cloud and remote workers, things are forming a crazy loop of security infrastructure and non-secured infrastructure.  

Today, if we discuss the security scenario, both in terms of height and depth, I can assure you that even 10,000 words would fall short, and you might not even read this sentence. So we could be focusing on the remote workers, where securing is a lot trickier. The challenge with the current remote workforce is that they have unlimited resources both to use and deal with and regulations that will be growing in the coming decade at an exponential rate.      

Leaders around the world are already pushing for decisive laws that will bring remote workers under cover of simpler regulations than acknowledging each and every one of them individually. Let me give you an example of how the startup environment is changing. A company that started just 6 years back had close to 30 employees. The company, over time, worked with several federal law enforcement agencies, so marinating data security with tools is crucial, but they had remote employees working in the company. Such concerns are now way beyond the businesses working with the federal agencies. GitLab, one of the largest all-remote workforces that creates tools for software developers, employs more than 1,100 employees across 65 countries. It means that the business has to deal with 65 different sets of cybersecurity laws and compliance regulations. 

Despite the growing challenge of inducting remote workers, they can promote innovation in the environment. So here are some ways that businesses can secure remote workers data and network,

1. Software redundancy

No single tool will be a complete and perfect solution to deal with each security threat. Every company today relies on 3–5 security tools that run on every single employee’s laptop. This protects several features in the system like remote access, data movement, and offers solutions between remote wiping and bricking and secured channels for communication. Every enterprise solution provides security to restrict the usage of data across platforms.

GitLab, instead of worrying about more than 1,100 employee devices, devotes time to pay attention to restricting access to every individual piece of company data that is stored in the cloud. A multi-layer protection that doesn’t burden the users with authentication and uses identity controls into applications, website web services, and devices.

2. Employee training

The human element can undermine even one of the strongest security systems in the world. One of the challenges corporates face today is that they have to constantly update their employee’s knowledge about different types of security threats. One thing which businesses can do is getting to know what are the current challenges every employee faces while dealing with network and data. It includes monthly all-hands conference calls dedicated specifically to managing best practices employees should follow to maintain better data security. Follow the security protocol, if anything smells fishy, contact the users and wait for a response.

Not all the leaders are complete security experts; there need to be security protocols wherein everyone is monitored using a specific set of rules.

GitLab that has several of the remote workers, has a heavily documented training process. The best thing about its security protocols is that it internalizes best practices at its own pace, and each potential change to those protocols is measured by a simple question: Will the increased security be worth the additional hassle for employees? Every employee plays a special part in the business and tries to make it user-friendly.

Cybersecurity failures can result in big financial consequences; on average, a small-business data breach in 2018 costs up to $29,000, according to the business insurer Hiscox. Though the above 2 are the primary pillars, there would be a need for extra support to cover other security gaps in remote work environments.

3. Policy implementation

Policies will assist you in defining every remote employee function and even helping the employees with having boundaries to what can be done, on which devices, and using which type of connection. What type of security applications that must be implemented before the remote worker’s device is given access to business data and network, what should be the criteria of the provider? Every industry might need to have different policies based on regulations and remote workers’ function, but devices, applications, and providers should be the primary criteria for every one of them.

4. Data types

Data types variation can be monitored from remote users with every stage update. The organization needs to place a filter on what data types can be transferred by the users and what will be implications of such data transfer. 

Conclusion

Remote workers are forming the basis of technology innovation, with every organization investing in mobility technology. Most of the full-time employees might even work for several days in a month from a remote location, so remote worker’s challenge is just not for certain types of the company; it’s for everyone. So every security solution your organization is investing in should satisfy remote location requirements and regulation for the usage of data based on the target region. To know more about data security, you can download our latest whitepapers on security.