Three Steps To Increasing Cybersecurity in Hybrid Companies

Companies across the EMEA region are developing hybrid work models. Some employees are gradually returning to their offices, but a significant proportion still works from home. Cybersecurity is a particularly relevant topic for companies at the moment, as a lot of hardware, software and data are now outside of their own data centre.

Rick Vanover, Veeam's Senior Director of Product Strategy, shares three tips for improving enterprise cybersecurity.

Reduction of Shadow IT

Most companies have never experienced the scale in which employees work from their home office. Whether it's because organizations don't have the systems to fully support a virtual workforce, or because employees use consumer apps for professional use, shadow IT has grown exponentially. 

In order to regain control of their data, it is the job of the IT teams to ensure that employees are aware of best practices for connecting and storing files through company services or the Virtual Private Network (VPN).

In addition, company-owned and password-protected cloud environments should be mandatory for storing company files. We strongly advise against using private cloud accounts.

Secure Management of The Devices

In connection with the expansion of shadow IT, there is the fact that employees outside the company building could use private devices for work. Any company with an extended policy on working from home should issue secure devices to prevent employees from storing potentially sensitive data on unprotected devices. 

In addition, updating passwords is an easy way to achieve a higher level of security overnight. Another way is to introduce two-factor authentication on all company devices in order to provide better protection against cyber attacks.

Backup and Protection of Company Data

If the data is not backed up, it is not protected. Data that is outside the company cannot be backed up. Therefore, in the event of a cyberattack, they cannot be restored. By reducing its shadow IT, a company increases the amount of data it can protect. In addition, companies need to ensure that their data is backed up. 

This also applies to cloud-based applications such as Microsoft Office365 and OneDrive, which do not automatically back up data, which means that it can still be unprotected.