The transition towards remote work offers numerous benefits to employees. However, the security risks that come along with the remote workforce are not going away soon. A study finds that 77% of SMEs are vulnerable to remote working and consider it a significant threat to their business.
Another survey report reveals that 74% of IT managers said the remote environment makes it harder for employees belonging to small and mid-sized organizations to practice good cybersecurity. Therefore, it’s vital for SMEs to take adequate steps to secure their remote workforce.
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Identifying the Cyber Risks Remote Workforce Introduces to SMEs
Cyberthreats have become a significant concern for SMEs adopting the remote working culture. Remote workers introduce several cybersecurity threats, such as phishing attacks, data breaches, and malware infections. These threats can compromise sensitive business data, expose confidential information, and result in financial losses.
Most employees lack knowledge about cybersecurity threats or methods that hackers use to launch an attack. As a result, remote workforces fall as an easy target for social engineering attacks like phishing attacks. A survey found that 39% of people have no problem clicking on suspicious links that might ask them to reveal personal or business information. This negligence poses significant risks for SMEs and even results in business closure. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, 60% of small companies leave business after six months of a cyber attack.
One primary reason remote workers are more prone to cyber threats is the influx of using their devices to access corporate assets that lack reliable security measures. Several people tend to access work files on their cellphones simply because it is convenient, and they do so without using mobile proxies, which are crucial to maintaining security such as these. The organization must make security tools like mobile proxies mandatory for remote staff, specifically those handling sensitive information. Since they help secure data through Socks5 and HTTPS encryption, it can help ensure security. Moroever, these proxies have a large IP address pool and allow users to change virtual locations, making online work easy.
However, regardless, any personal devices are being used to access the business network, irrespective of whether these devices are adequately protected or connected to a secure network. The increased number of unsecured endpoints makes the employees’ devices susceptible to hacking. To minimize these risks, SMEs must implement cybersecurity measures and educate their remote workers on best practices.
How Does Unsecure Remote Workforce Impact SMEs’?
The shift to the remote working environment has become a popular and common practice for SMEs. Gartner also predicts that by 2025, 70% of the workforce will work remotely. However, SMEs failing to secure a remote workforce can experience serious consequences. The unsecured remote work environment increases the attack surface and provides more entry points for cybercriminals to exploit. Without adequate security, remote workers’ devices are more prone to malware, phishing, and other cyber threats. These threats often lead to data breaches and the loss of sensitive information, damaging the company’s reputation and resulting in financial loss.
Moreover, within a remote workforce, managing security is a challenging task. It’s mainly because the IT teams have limited access and visibility to the remote workers’ devices and security configurations. The lack of visibility and control makes it difficult for SMEs to promptly detect and respond to cyber threats.
Besides this, SMEs adhere to industry regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA. A data breach due to an unsecure remote environment results in compliance and legal consequences leading to penalties and lawsuits. In other words, SMEs are compelled to pay hefty fines for non-compliance, which adds more financial pressure and negatively impacts the company’s reputation in the market.
Effective Actionable Tips SMEs Can Take To Mitigate These Risks
With more employees working from home and getting exposed to cybersecurity threats, SMES must implement the best cybersecurity practices. Here are some of the best measures that help SMEs to secure their data and remote workforce:
- SMEs should regularly perform cybersecurity security assessments of the remote environment to check where the gaps exist and how to fix them.
- Use remote monitoring software to control access to the company’s data, monitor the employee’s activities, detect any security breaches, and apply security patches.
- Perform audits to ensure that remote employees meet the necessary data protection standards. This ensures compliance and reduces the risk of cyber attacks.
- SMEs must review and update their incident response plan to include the specific scenario of remote workforce that may impact the business.
- Remote employees must be offered cybersecurity courses focusing on remote working vulnerabilities and guidelines to access the critical business network safely.
- Create and implement policies for remote workers about which devices can connect to the corporate network. Also, be clear on the security expectations regarding data protection.
- Conduct regular training and awareness programs to educate remote employees about cybersecurity trends and security threats. Also, teach them how to respond to them and remain safe.
- Ensure that the data is regularly backed up and stored safely. Doing so saves them from a chaotic situation when the remote worker’s device gets stolen or the aftermath of a cyber attack.
- Deploy a zero-trust framework that requires all the users and devices to verify first to access the company’s network. This way, only authorized personnel can connect to the network.
- Encourage the employees to deploy multi-factor authentication and password managers on their devices to prevent unauthorized access. Also, ask them to use privacy tools like VPNs that add a layer of security while accessing the business network and data.
Final Words
As SMEs embrace the remote working model, they become more exposed to cybersecurity threats. Failing to secure the remote environment leads to data breaches, data theft, and regulatory issues, resulting in business loss and reputational damage. By implementing the best cybersecurity practices, SMEs can prevent these problems and safeguard their critical business data and remote employees. Training employees about the changing security landscape, creating policies for remote employees, and conducting regular security assessments are some of the best ways SMEs can secure their remote workforce.
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