Hybrid Office Security
If your business has converted, or is thinking of converting, to a hybrid office – that’s the model of working where employees may work in the office or from their home or do both – then security is an important consideration. There are certain risk factors when mixing these two types of working together. For example, your company’s network may be optimised only for on-premise connectivity, leading remote workers to use less secure networks. Or perhaps employees are using personal devices for work that aren’t being protected in the right way. So, here are a few basic yet highly effective steps businesses can take to increasing security in their hybrid office:
- Network Perimeters – This term refers to all the points of access to your company’s network. In an office, all the points of access will remain within the building and will be easy to track and control. However, when employees are accessing company resources from their home, or possibly even from many different locations if they travel frequently, then those points of access become more spread out, and the network perimeter gets wider and wider.
- Endpoint Management – This also relates to the network perimeter. Endpoints are any device – whether it be PC, laptop, mobile device, or even printers – that have access to company resources. All endpoints can be compromised, so it is very important to use an endpoint management service, to be able to monitor devices for unusual activity. You can also set up policies for endpoints, for example, to segregate company data within the device. This makes it much harder for data to leak out of the company network – which can happen simply by users losing track of where data is stored.
- Communication Management – Of course, communication is a huge part of business; and we are spoilt for choice in terms of services (WhatsApps, Facebook, Slack, etc.) But it’s important to be using a communication channel that is optimised for business – i.e. one that has end-to-end encryption, enterprise level security policies, etc. Communication services like Slack or Microsoft Teams are ideal for a business wanting to ensure their employees can communicate with one another from anywhere.
These are just a few steps to take with your hybrid office security. If you are eager to take these steps, it is worth consulting with an IT support partner. If you’re in London, for example, an IT support London provider will be easy to find. They will be able to discuss your situation with hybrid working, assess your network security and advise you on technology to adopt.
