Reducing the cyber security risk of home working

Home working shouldn't prioritise productivity at the expense of security, but in some cases this is exactly what's happening

Many businesses have had to facilitate home working for the first time. Even those that were already set up for remote access may not have been equipped to enable home working on the scale we are witnessing during this pandemic.

There is no doubt that Covid-19 is creating additional security threats as attackers attempt to take advantage of the increased proportion of the workforce spending more time online at home, working in unorthodox surroundings. This week legal charity Citizens Advice disclosed the findings of a new survey, showing that nearly one-third Britons have been contacted by scammers since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Home working shouldn't prioritise productivity at the expense of security, but in some cases this is exactly what's happening. Heads of IT are aware that if they don't equip employees with the appropriate security tools, policies and training, there's a danger that a compromise or a breach could bring the whole business to a grinding halt, but this requires additional effort and sometimes budget that hard-pressed firms may be loath to sign off.

We're long past the days when business security ended at the office walls. The security perimeter is now digital, and there are now cloud-based security tools that allow IT teams to monitor and protect devices off-domain. But it's not just about the tools and how they are set up and configured. It's also about instilling a think-before-you-click culture that embeds security in everything the company does.

Join us for a live webinar Beyond the perimeter: Why remote working doesn't have to mean substandard cyber security on Thursday 25th June at 3pm when we'll be looking at:

• What organisations are doing today to ensure their remote workforces are secure from cyber threats, and what more they could be doing.
• Digital distancing - what this means and why home workers need to think about this.
• The use of VPNs, dedicated Wi-Fi networks, strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, endpoint security and cyber risk awareness and training.

This event is CPD-accredited.

Panel

Andrew Hobbs, content strategist & research analyst, enterprise technology, Incisive Media

John Leonard, group research director, Incisive Media

Rick McElroy, cyber security strategist, VMware Carbon Black

Nick Ioannou, small business security guru and head of IT, RG Partnership