There are many advantages to remote working. For example, the practice has reduced operational costs such as rent, energy bills, and more. Some organizations have even ended their office leases after realizing that they can work with videoconferencing software permanently.
However, numerous cybersecurity experts worldwide warn that many companies have ignored security protocols in their enthusiasm to adopt remote working. For example, after surveying hundreds of American IT professionals, the Enduring from home report by cybersecurity experts Malwarebytes suggests that 24% of organizations paid unexpected expenses to address cybersecurity breaches, while 20% faced security breaches because of remote workers.
Let’s look at some typical mistakes made by remote workers:
- Simple passwords
- Oversharing sensitive information on social media
- Falling prey to phishing attacks
- Connecting to company servers on unsecured WiFi connections
These vulnerabilities allowed cybercriminals to steal customer data through spyware attacks, hurting workers’ morale and consumer confidence. It also allowed hackers to use ransomware attacks, which can cripple a company’s entire operation.
According to the 2019 IBM “Cost of a Data Breach Report,” the average cost of a data breach is a whopping $3.92 million. While some companies eventually recuperate from ransomware attacks, others don’t have the resources to recover.
Remember, it’s not only large renowned companies targeted by ransomware attacks. Ransomware detections of strains such as Ryuk, Phobos, GandCrab, and Sodinokibi are on the rise against organizations of all sizes, including governments, schools, hospitals, and managed service providers (MSPs).
Here are some of the likely culprits behind such attacks:
- Cybercriminal organizations
- Petty thieves out to make a buck
- Hacktivists
- State-sponsored threat actors
- Rival organizations
- Trolls
Endpoint Protection Software
It’s a good idea to train your entire company on safety measures while working remotely with the assistance of a cybersecurity team. It’s also advisable to equip your employees with company laptops for official work. However, if you run a small business, you may not have the resources to offer this technology.
That’s why you need endpoint protection to secure all devices that your employees use to work, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Of course, this begs the question, what is endpoint protection software and how is it different from traditional cybersecurity tools like antivirus or anti-malware technology?
Endpoint protection offers the best of antivirus and anti-malware technology by providing machine learning, behavioural analysis, known attack detection, exploit mitigation, cloud-based centralized management, and automation, to safeguard businesses of all shapes and sizes. You can find out more about all of the above from some online cyber security masters that will be able to teach you everything you need to know in order to keep your business’ data safe. You can even consider giving your employees training on the above to ensure they are also well-equipped to prevent any cyber breaches from happening. They don’t need to be experts, but just by applying basic preventative measures and knowing what to look out for, your company and employees will be safe from any cyber criminal trying their luck!
Unlike a home user, you may need to install and manage hundreds of computers and devices that your employees use for business. With the best endpoint protection software, you can secure every system with a cloud-based solution that provides unlimited scalability, easy deployment, and robust reporting.
It doesn’t matter how extensive or how varied your network is. For example, you can also secure employees who decide to BYOD (bring your own device).
At a time when there’s a major spike in security breaches because of remote working, your organization needs to invest in endpoint protection. Not only will robust security tools help optimize your business, but they’ll give you peace of mind.
