You might have come across the phrase “future of work is hybrid.” The recent pandemic has changed the workplace in many ways, forcing companies to adopt the hybrid workplace rapidly. The role of technology is important in this regard, so much so that things will never go back to how they were.
What is a Hybrid Workforce?
A hybrid workforce is neither entirely remote nor completely in the office. Employees in a hybrid workforce alternate between working from home and working on-site. This model is thought to offer the “best of both worlds” to maximize the benefits of remote work while also bringing significant benefits of working collaboratively in person and creating a safe workplace.
Providing employees with the opportunity to work from home part-time helps them to maintain a better work/life balance and focus on independent work while still enabling them to come into the office to work on projects that benefit from in-person interaction.
However, converting to a hybrid workplace would make things more challenging. When half of your workers work from home, in public areas, or other insecure locations, protecting company data becomes more difficult. Devices that move in and out of enterprise networks are more likely to be infected with malware. To make the matter more complicated, most organizations lack a defined plan for switching to a hybrid model. Despite their best efforts, businesses remain at risk of costly data breaches.
But don’t worry. In this blog, we’d like to advise on managing endpoint security in a hybrid workplace. Let’s get started!
The Definition of Data Security and Privacy:
The term “data security” refers to “steps taken to protect a computer or computer system (such as those on the Internet) from unauthorized access or attack.” It’s a broad term that incorporates a wide range of steps that businesses may take, as well as demands from their workers and others, to ensure data security.
Managing Compliance and Endpoint Security in a Hybrid Workplace:
- Educate Your Employees
For many businesses, the security practices of remote workers are their most vulnerable area. Working on unsecured Wi-Fi networks to using home laptops for work – or vice versa – are just a few of the poor habits that might allow attackers in. If your staff is not made aware of the precautions they should take away from the office, they will most likely be unaware that they are guilty of bad security hygiene.
Educating your employees is critical to maintaining data security in a hybrid workplace. To begin, you must develop a clear set of data security policies that everyone follows daily.
- Protect Your Cloud Data
Cloud technology enables companies that use a hybrid model to give greater flexibility and accessibility to employees situated in different places. Therefore, you should not trust that cloud service providers are entirely responsible for data stored in the cloud. You can ensure internet safety, and protect your data and user access regardless of your company’s cloud service.
So, how do you protect data stored in the cloud? One highly effective method is to encrypt critical data before uploading it to cloud services. Additional precautions you may take include employing strong passwords, monitoring and limiting file access, and ensuring your network security is strong.
- Central Management of Encryption and Data Wiping
We recommend that all companies switching to a hybrid model – or, to be fair, any company – include data encryption and data wiping in their cybersecurity rules. Employees can secure data from physical and virtual dangers if given the necessary training and access to encryption and data-wiping tools.
Businesses should also consider adopting central management of encryption and data wiping tools for more consistency and reliability regarding company-wide adoption of data security software.
- Consider the Zero-Trust Model
The zero-trust model is one method of securing data in hybrid workplaces that is gaining popularity. While this approach is on the more end of data protection, it may be highly advantageous to companies with the necessary resources and patience.
The zero-trust model assumes that no devices or users should be trusted, even those within the enterprise network. Instead, users must go through authentication processes whenever they want to access anything on the network.
And Don’t Forget…
These are the fundamental security principles:
- Only use work computers for work.
- Authorized employees should only use work computers.
- Always apply computer updates as soon as possible.
- Work laptops must not be loaded with unapproved software.
- Employ two-factor authentication wherever possible for certain tools.
Final Thoughts:
Educating employees on how to maintain security when working remotely is essential. For example, requiring employees to create tough passwords and update them regularly and educating them to detect and report phishing attacks to ensure internet safety.
Finally, implementing measures to ensure compliance and data security in a hybrid workplace can foster employee engagement by promoting a safe and transparent work environment.