Steps to consider Workforce returns to Workplace

Working remotely for over a year, companies around the world will soon expect their employees to return to the office.

Whether you are working from home or office, it is smart to consider a few cybersecurity best practices so that you and your employees do not become a target of a malicious actor and to reduce and mitigate risks

Complex Password Policy

A strong password to ensure the safety of your accounts and data. Most employees do not use complex passwords and often use a standard password across multiple accounts. Employees use weak passwords based on their preference to use simple passwords that are easy to recall. Unfortunately, this endeavor can be dangerous for the company. Companies need to ensure that their employees understand the reasons for using strong, complex passwords.

Use of a Password Manager

Companies across the world are facing an increased risk of cyberattacks due to ineffective password management. There are many techniques available for data encryption and securing the network, but as long as employees use weak passwords, all of these techniques are of little use.

By incorporating a Password Manager into your security stack, employees can establish and use complex passwords for their accounts, thereby increasing the company’s security. Additionally, a Password Manager will help ensure proper protection of their passwords and keep them secured in an encrypted state. Companies can further provide login security and password protection by deploying a Password Manager, which also delivers Multi-factor authentication as an additional security measure.

Protect Endpoints

With malicious emails being the primary vector for breaches and incidents, ensuring that your employee’s endpoints are thoroughly protected is paramount. Malicious actors understand that the employee is the weak link in network security – attack the employee endpoint and gain access.

Employees trust that their companies have adequate cybersecurity and will have a relaxed attitude toward clicking on email attachments and links. Once the link or attachment of a malicious email is clicked, the difference between containment and a devastating intrusion is only one lateral move away.

Similarly, you can add further factors – creating a Multi-factor login process to augment the security of entry into your network.

Invest in Cybersecurity Training

While it is essential to deploy comprehensive defense in depth it is equally important to invest in your employee’s cybersecurity knowledge through training. Cybersecurity awareness training should be a component of your overall cybersecurity planning and road map. In some situations, a single employee may be the last chance your organization has to stop a devastating breach; investing in them through security training is a smart thing to do.

Protect Network Assets Through Access Management

As employees begin to return to work, it may be an excellent time to assess the assets deployed throughout your network and determine if they are protected from unauthorized access. Assets hold vital data that keeps the company operating and ensures employment for all employees; protecting that data is critical. Access control to those assets and their data through privileged access management is now a necessity.

Access management runs across multiple needs: privileged access management to servers and other network assets, session management to monitor activity conducted on those assets, certificate management to ensure certificates running in the environment are updated and active, key management to create and maintain encryption keys and password management as described earlier in this blog.

Wrap-Up

As we begin to move back to normalcy in our work lives, it is time to assess your network’s security. Investing in security solutions is an expensive endeavor, but it is vital to an organization’s existence. Implementing the above security measures can help your organization be on the best footing to protect your network and your employees.