COVID-19 came to revolutionize the way companies operate around the world. As we all know, from one day to the other, structurally speaking, most companies stopped operating onsite to work completely remotely and while some entities are now making the effort to return to the new normality, some have decided to change their work methodology to handle both remote and onsite work from now on and others have even started migrating to cloud infrastructure.
Regardless of the benefits, this might have, confidential information and document management is a security aspect companies should not neglect, especially when some of their workloads are handled remotely, since safety measures shrink outside an enterprise’s perimeter. With employees taking laptops, USBs, or hard drives out of the company, using their personal computers from home, or sending data from mobile devices, perimeter security efforts like the company’s firewalls no longer guarantee the security of the organization’s data, making the likelihood of having data breaches, cyberattacks, economic and reputational losses even more prone.
IT department’s workload has increased, especially now due to cyberattacks derived from COVID-19 and due to the extension of the attack surface brought by remote working. Having these in mind, companies should implement a series of measures to assure their collaborators are securely using their devices and apps and consequently protecting the company’s integrity, whether they are at home or at the office. Strengthening their cybersecurity strategy with an effective incident response plan and cutting-edge solutions that will allow them to detect, track, analyze, contain, eradicate, and recover from any attack while maintaining a proactive approach and addressing problems is effectively the 1st step.
Here are a few aspects to consider when addressing secure information:
- Establish digital management and confidentiality rules
- Reinforce credentials and access to data
- Use Firewalls
- Keep software, devices and apps updated
- Have good antivirus
- Use multifactor authentication on devices and apps
- Apply email encryption on laptops and mobile devices
- Pay attention to passwords
- Have an incident response plan
- Never open unknown attachments or links
- Backup Data
Besides having an incident response plan, companies should train their employees to use it accordingly onsite and remotely. There would be no point in implementing security measures if collaborators are not aware of the risks and the impact they could cause on their information and those of your clients. Understanding how to manage threats correctly will avoid exposure and risks.
Despite the fact that Mexico is above the average in Latin America and among the most informed and prepared nations in cybersecurity of LATAM, Mexican organizations still have a long way to go to appropriately protect themselves from within, especially since it’s considered the 2nd country in the region most persecuted by cyber attackers. Investing in the right cybersecurity measures, training or partners is fundamental due to the current landscape.
Get informed and learn how to use technology as your ally while implementing appropriate cybersecurity measures to safeguard your data onsite and remotely!
Written by THETA432