Protecting new boundaries post Covid-19
Recent weeks have seen an unparalleled rise of people working remotely – made possible by the colossal efforts of IT teams around the country. Although necessary in these extraordinary times, this upsurge in remote workers has vastly extended operational and security perimeters introducing many new risk factors and numerous challenges for all organisations, writes Berni Maguire, Nouveau Solutions.As a result of the pandemic IT teams will have been faced with many logistical, operational and security issues while implementing, managing, and supporting systems as their employees rapidly switched over to remote working. Many will have experienced an increase in phishing threats by email, endpoint security concerns and other issues that increase the need to set up multi-factor authentication.
Others will have had hardware challenges and seen a significant rise in new users utilising VPN technology, which is likely to have caused bandwidth issues particularly when adopting a full tunnel approach to ensure optimum network protection for remote workers.
Organisations could consider split tunnel mode which would help to resolve bandwidth issues, however they need to consider the security challenges this would impose,” said Andy Stevens, business director of Nouveau Solutions.
Staying on top of regular IT, operational and security changes is demanding enough in normal circumstances, but this situation has completely and radically changed everything. It has also left very few companies unscathed. Business continuity plans been tested, people may have struggled to access systems and data backups could be void due to data only being accessible on site. The past few weeks would have seen most IT departments stretched to breaking point while working 24/7 to ensure organisations remain operational and employees have been able to connect and be secure.
Although normally the preserve of mobile workers, remote working is now a serious consideration for all. There is a groundswell of people recognising the benefits of working from home and many want to continue working in this way. As we move towards a new norm, organisations too are considering the advantages and potential cost savings of allowing more staff to continue working remotely.
Nouveau.co.ukYet, as the Government eases restrictions with workers able to return part time and furlough finishing for all at the end of October, organisations should consider the best approach for returning furloughed staff as again there may be more remote workers. As operating boundaries expand, companies also need to ask the question: “What does cyber security look like now in a post Covid-19 world?” And: “Is it time to consider outsourcing to an IT managed service provider who can build, protect and maintain our IT infrastructure while we focus on our business?”
With so many new security implications to consider, Nouveau has decades of expertise and experience to proactively review your security, infrastructure and system performance. We can inform you of areas for concern, or network improvements. Also as a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), we’ll focus on prevention, monitoring to detect system threats in real time, and taking immediate action when required. We will also keep you up-to-date and informed with the latest operational and security enhancements to protect your business,” assured Stevens.
Moving towards a new norm there is a lot for organisations to consider. What worked well during the pandemic, but what needs to be reviewed? For many the answer to this question will only accelerate the need to adopt a cloud-first approach and the unquestionable benefits that this brings, particularly in the current situation, but also as more people push to work remotely in the future.
Nouveau offers a range of tailored support services to ensure our clients’ IT infrastructure and business systems are secure, optimised for performance and remain fully operational. Our approach is to understand your individual needs, and flexibly match the right level of support to meet those needs. As part of our service, we regularly and proactively review the infrastructure and provide advice on operational performance and security, to ensure business systems function at optimal levels and support commercial goals.
Also see: The threats from tech advancements
