Remote working and corporate cyber security
Due to the threat from the coronavirus pandemic and governmental recommendations, many people are switching to remote working. Thus, the issue of cyber security becomes important for companies – resources must be available for those working from home, but at the same time well protected. The risk increases when there is a lack of security, but also when the existing ones are mismatched.
According to the World Economic Forum report, cyber attacks are one of the five biggest threats in 2021. This also applies to companies: according to research, as many as 45% of companies suffer financial losses because of it. At the same time, in last year only 36% of commercial entities had a strategy of protection against cyber attacks.
These issues are becoming more and more important now that a large part of the staff, for fear of the coronavirus, work from home. Entrepreneurs should remember three elements: risk, reputation and ransomware.
What are the threats to companies?
The growing number of devices connected to the Internet and attacks aimed at them as well as the popularisation of cloud solutions or remote working are new sources of risk for companies. According to the CERT report, the biggest threat to companies is ransomware – malicious software that blocks access to a computer system or encrypts data stored in it, and then demands a ransom for its restoration. This may paralyse all business activities of the company for a long time.
Not only financial losses
Companies are required to carefully safeguard sensitive data, especially personal data. Their leakage may result in legal liability and penalties or financial loss. The cost of cyber attacks to companies in 2019 rose to $4 million. The WEF predicts that by 2021, cyber crime will already cost global economies 7 billion dollars.
Losses are not only caused by downtimes and disruptions in the functioning of companies. Also important is the loss of reputation and image, i.e. trust and loyalty of customers or contractors, crucial for the functioning of any business.
Risk minimization
Each company should enable employees to securely connect to the company’s systems and resources through a VPN and control the resources made available. A key element of protection is risk assessment and minimization. Therefore, companies should have a clear plan of action in case of an attack or violation of data confidentiality. This will allow them to react quickly and minimize losses. It is also important to educate staff on precautions and suspicious activities, especially emails, which should raise their alertness.
Due to the threat of coronavirus epidemic and government recommendations, many people are switching to remote work. The issue of cyber security is becoming important for companies – resources must be available for those working from home, but at the same time well protected. The risk increases when there is a lack of safeguards, but also when the existing ones are mismatched. Therefore, it is important to introduce solutions tailored to the resources and capabilities of the company. Contrary to popular belief, they do not have to cost much, nor do they require a whole staff of IT employees. A good supplier will provide advice, service or 24/7 remote technical support and proactive monitoring of the infrastructure.
Cybersecurity Directory 