BLOGS
Revisiting IT Security to Ensure Uninterrupted Services during WFH
One of the first casualties of remote working was cybersecurity. When the lockdown was announced, organizations immediately set in motion their business continuity, employee safety, and communication plans; IT security did not make the top three. In the days that followed, a flurry of mails and calls from concerned clients brought home the urgency of having a long-term IT business continuity plan that would enable the uninterrupted delivery of client services.
When the lockdowns were announced, it presented IT teams with a set of unique challenges. Firstly, they had to help business continue working despite the massive, global, overnight migration of workers to a remote working model. The demands placed on the IT infrastructure was unprecedented. Secondly, there was no realistic lockdown end date in sight. This meant the continual addition of devices to the enterprise network and therefore, a continual widening of the cyberattack area.
Rapid Digitalization = Increased Need for Resiliency
“Organizations went digital very quickly, very thoroughly. From collaborating on financial documents to watercooler conversations, everything went virtual to minimize person-to-person contact,” observed Venkatesh CR, Director - IT Infrastructure.
A natural consequence of this virtualization was an increase in the use of untested conferencing and collaboration tools. New software, especially in unsecured remote workplaces, caused a sharp spike in the number of security incidents.
One of the simplest ways to mitigate risks was to ensure that employees were connected to internal applications through virtual private networks (VPN). While it made data transmission over home networks relatively safe, the suddenness of the migration meant that IT teams could not make sure that every single device was VPN-enabled. Clients with highly confidential data were reluctant to sign off infosec waivers due to the absence of stringent access mechanisms. The importance of having quickly deployable enterprise security controls had never been clearer.
Secure, Scalable Remote Access for the New Workplace
Advanced solutions like privileged access management and cloud-based security will be integral to the future success of organizations where a patchwork of personal and company-issued devices is not an option. And with the distributed workforce model looking like it is here to stay, leading-edge cybersecurity solutions could be a game changer.
RRD GO Creative™, like all companies, was taken by surprise by the pressures of a global pandemic. However, a meticulous business continuity plan focused on cyber resilience ensured that employees stayed updated on all security measures through frequent communications and e-learning modules. By investing in a scalable technology platform, it was able to quickly expand its VPN infrastructure and provide granular policies based on customers’ security and compliance requirements. It continues to prioritize scalable IT infrastructure, VPN access, and other solutions that have proved successful during the lockdown in order to continue offering uninterrupted services to clients and employees.
Players like RRD GO Creative™ with a solid IT security strategy and willingness to embrace new approaches are well positioned to lead the charge during the next economic turnaround.