Cyber Security strategy is more important than ever

In the “new normal” your cyber security strategy is more important than ever.

With over 82% of company leaders planning to continue remote working to some degree even after employees start returning to the office, there has never been a more pressing time to consider your cyber security strategy and how it can continue to support remote working (Gartner).

Remote working

The increase in remote workers as a result of COVID-19 precautions has highlighted several areas of concern amongst IT Managers whose organisations perhaps haven’t previously practiced remote working on a regular basis. Such areas include VPN security, control of data access, and even the management of significant changes to IT infrastructure on a regular basis. What’s more, this period of adjustment has had to take place amid a steady rise in cybercrime, as attackers exploit vulnerabilities highlighted in the scramble to move to online and cloud-based working.

Cyber Security Strategy

In order to navigate this significant upheaval in the way IT systems are being used, it’s essential for IT Managers to take a multi-faceted approach to their cyber security strategy going forward. This should start on the frontline, with IT departments taking measures to ensure that staff is well-equipped and educated to be vigilant of cyber threats across devices. Training should be undertaken to help staff at any level recognise the tell-tale signs of a phishing scam or understand how to use VPN networks and multi-factor authentication where necessary.

Increase in Cloud Computing

The rise in remote workers has necessitated a greater dependency on cloud-based work. However, building a suitable cloud environment that meets your organisational needs can be costly and time-consuming. Furthermore, you cannot assume that your cloud provider is even responsible for backing up your cloud data, leaving your organisation at risk.

Looking at comprehensive solutions, such as the Covenco cloud, can be cost-effective by reducing the need to invest in data centre infrastructure and can even help you to meet the standards required of ISO accreditation through data centres and network architectures that satisfy even the most security-conscious organisations. Being vendor agnostic, the Covenco cloud is a flexible solution that can work seamlessly with your existing setup, or you can turn to the disaster recovery experts at Covenco for a more holistic package including cloud backup.

Email security is another important consideration as remote working becomes a regular occurrence. Covenco can recommend a number of services to protect your email systems against malicious attacks, such as Mimecast for Office 365, Microsoft Exchange, and G Suite, offering archiving, security, and importantly up to 100% uptime, to ensure productivity across the organisation continues to thrive even in these unprecedented times.

Other holistic cyber security solutions, such as Darktrace’s Enterprise Immune System, can also strengthen your cyber defences, particularly considering the influx of users working remotely. Using leading machine learning, the Enterprise Immune System learns the normal “patterns of life” for your specific organisation in order to identify discrepancies in user behaviours. Doing so allows your organisation to build up a digital immune system to identify and stop even novel cyber-attacks without having to rely on potentially out-of-date signatures and rules.

What to do next …

With so much to think about, you need a reliable partner on hand who can offer extensive experience and trusted advice during a challenging time permeated by ever-changing cyber security threats. With over 20 years of experience, why not reach out to the leading UK Disaster Recovery specialists and call one of our experts today on 0845 2070 999 or fill in the form below to discuss your cyber security options and start building your cyber defences.