Working from home has become the norm since COVID-19 first took hold in the spring of 2020. Remote working has brought many benefits to companies and the lives of individual employees. However, it hasn’t come without difficulties as well.
“Online security has become increasingly important during the past couple of years,” Ian Marlow of Boca Raton said. “A study of more than 1,000 companies showed that 90 percent of them saw an increase in cyber attacks due to COVID-19.”
Ian Marlow explained that this increase is likely due to how dependent individuals and companies have become on the internet. Experts from INTERPOL stated that cyber-attacks are affecting everyone, including individuals, small businesses, and major companies.
“Companies rapidly switched to remote working systems, and this created a lot of loopholes for cyber criminals,” Ian Marlow said. “There were and still are a lot of areas of vulnerability that have allowed hackers to disrupt systems, steal data, and create profits for themselves.”
Marlow of Boca Raton explained that the best thing companies can do is reassess your company’s online security system. This likely means hiring a cybersecurity expert and putting them to work immediately. For larger companies, it means including a cybersecurity team within the company. This is because cyber attacks are constantly changing, and cyber security must adapt. The job of a cybersecurity expert is one that never ends.
“A secure VPN or other form of encrypted connectivity is absolutely essential,” Marlow said. “Employees must connect to this VPN or other encrypted connectivity option whenever they sit down to work, whether they’re on mobile devices, desktop computers, or laptops. This is the only way to securely enter a virtual office.”
Marlow added that many companies will also require specific hardware to protect their important data and the data of customers. This is where cybersecurity experts like Ian Marlow step in. They can form a VPN or connect services through the cloud, and ensure software is always up-to-date company-wide.
Having a secure mobile workplace that has been put in place by cyber security experts can prevent data loss, reduce threats, and increase employee productivity.
“It’s our job to help prevent cyber attacks and find immediate solutions for them if they do occur,” Ian Marlow finished. “This keeps your employees working and keeps them working efficiently. Many times, employees are in charge of completing their own security updates, but that can cause them to take time away from more important tasks.”
Marlow concluded that hiring a cybersecurity expert or team of experts can truly be the difference between a business’ success or failure.