As remote work becomes more prevalent, enterprises struggle to design their cloud access and networks to secure remote workers effectively. To successfully secure remote workers, enterprises need to shift their focus from perimeter-based security to identity-based security and ensure they use best practices when securing remote workers.
The Need for a New Security Model for Remote Work
Previously, companies could secure their IT infrastructure by putting everything behind a firewall in their office. However, with remote work, the “edge” of the network can no longer be controlled by one firewall. The edge has moved to each employee’s remote workplace, which makes securing remote workers a major challenge for enterprises.
Ashu Singhal, CEO of Orion Networks, explains, “Previously, companies could secure their IT infrastructure by putting everything behind a firewall in their office. With remote work, the ‘edge’ of the network can no more be controlled by one firewall. Instead, the edge has moved to each employee’s remote workplace. It is important to ensure a new set of security tools is deployed to secure each remote user. Things like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), endpoint encryption, and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) are becoming more critical by the day to protect companies from increasing cyber threats.”
To secure remote workers, enterprises must design their networks to be resilient and secure while accommodating remote workers. This can be challenging, as there are several factors to consider when designing a network for remote workers.
The Importance of Best Practices
One of the biggest challenges enterprises face when securing remote workers is ensuring that they use best practices. There are several different best practices that enterprises should follow when it comes to securing remote workers.
For example, enterprises should ensure that all remote workers use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to access their accounts. Additionally, enterprises should use encryption to protect data in transit and at rest.
Glenn Kemp with Clear Concepts states, “The best way to secure remote workers is to enforce the same security policies and procedures that apply to the office environment. This includes requiring strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and end-to-end encryption.”
The Shift to Identity-Based Security
One of the most important changes that need to take place in an enterprise’s security strategy to secure remote workers successfully is a shift in focus from perimeter-based security to identity-based security. With remote work, the network’s perimeter has expanded to include each employee’s remote workplace.
Ed Anderson from Dyrand Systems explains, “Identity-based security focuses on securing the user rather than the network perimeter. This involves strong authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure only authorized users can access sensitive data and systems.”
In conclusion, securing remote workers is a major challenge for enterprises. To successfully secure remote workers, enterprises need to shift their focus from perimeter-based security to identity-based security and ensure they use best practices when securing remote workers. Additionally, deploying new security tools like EDR, MFA, endpoint encryption, and SIEM is critical to protect companies from increasing cyber threats.
