The office-based business environments have dramatically switched to hybrid or remote models. Over the last few years, the change has been accelerating, and the Pandemic prompted this transformation. Many companies experience hybrid and remote work for the first time in their business lives. They recognize that they need to adapt their settings to hybrid work necessities because it is vital to maintain the same performance in hybrid work.
It is inevitable for companies to transform their work models and make themselves compatible with the new requirements of new models. Digital transformation is a fact of companies and the more quickly they start to regenerate the more they get positive feedback.
Cloud-based Systems in Hybrid Work Model
Now, enterprises prefer cloud-based platforms to increase their hybrid work adoption. They prefer cloud storage, cloud applications, and even cloud networks. Remote access is a must when it comes to hybrid work because there is no way for a remote workforce to maintain daily operations without the help of cloud resources. To provide robust remote access, cloud systems are indispensable.
Since cloud-based resources and hybrid work become the new normal for enterprises they started to scale up their business quality by getting help from the content features of cloud systems. Employees and customers have different and unique requests and to meet their needs, enterprises should take advantage of cloud technology. If they can not keep pace with modern solutions and tools, they can not increase their market value and may lose their reputation.
Drawbacks of Cloud Systems
On the other hand, cloud-based systems have some drawbacks. Except for adoption processes and transforming glitches, hybrid systems have one prominent drawback which is access security. Hybrid work adopted companies and hybrid workforce face security challenges every day when they process their daily work.
The good news is there are several practices for organizations to protect themselves from hybrid work security threats. We will explain potential security risks and solutions to avoid or compensate for the damage below.
Hybrid Work Security Best Practices
❖ Smart Remote Access
From the hybrid access security point of view what is smart remote access is a vital question to answer and we will explain it explicitly. Smart remote access works as a LAN creator and creates a virtual LAN to provide a safe connection between internal devices. Improving remote access capability is vital in hybrid access. A protected environment can enhance work performance and decrease the stress level of employees. Your workforce can more focus on their business rather than feeling anxious about online security.
Facilitate Hybrid Access
Smart remote access offers easy and effective remote access. Imagine that your workforce can dial on the internal network regardless of their location. Furthermore, employees can use various devices without compromising on security levels because smart remote access is compatible with most devices.
This solution can meet the need for a VPN because it is comfortable with smart remote access to connect VPNs and create a robust VPN architecture in the enterprise.
Share Files Safely
File sharing is one of the important parts of hybrid work so you should be sure about your employees share files safely. You can protect your files, therefore your data, vulnerable information, and other company knowledge.
How to Obtain Smart Remote Access
By subscribing to a professional smart remote access provider, you can create an account and choose the right plan for your organization. For instance, NordLayer offers a control panel that enables users to create a virtual gateway.
❖ Cloud VPN
Cloud VPNs substitute remote access VPNs due to swift transmission to Cloud-based systems in enterprises. Employees used to connect company resources via remote access VPNs and run their businesses securely. However, new cloud systems come into play over the past several years, and enterprises immigrate cloud technologies. As a result of this migration, remote access VPNs became inadequate to provide companies whole online security.
Cloud VPNs add an extra layer to enterprises’ security level and enable enterprises to build an extensive, flexible, and also reliable Cloud architecture. Moreover, using a Cloud VPN is cost-effective and can save companies’ budgets from spending only on cyber security.
You can allow your employees to work from wherever they are because regardless of their current location, Cloud VPN services help them to be protected from potential risks.
Credential authentication is also a considerable feature of Cloud VPNs. Enterprise Cloud resource security can be provided thanks to identity authentication and authorization processes.
❖ Zero Trust
Zero Trust architecture prompts the idea that you can trust users but first you should verify them. It means, regardless of their status, or job descriptions in a company, you should ask for credential authentication for your users to be sure that only authorized users can access vulnerable enterprise assets and networks.
In the Zero Trust principle, all users need verification before access whether inside or outside the network. It considers all networks untrustable so can prevent attack surfaces to be extended. Furthermore, users gain limited access to the resources only enough for them to perform their work, not more.
Most importantly, Zero Trust architecture is based on the idea that there is no way to prevent breaches %100. So, a proper security structure should not only focus on preventing breaches but to mitigate the damage after a breach occurs.
Visibility
From the Zero Trust point of view, visibility is a vital element of enterprise online security. IT managers can pursue visibility across the whole network and touch all endpoints thanks to Zero Trust. Every endpoint can be examined by IT specialists so threats can be determined and prevented before causing major damage.
❖ Identity and Access Management
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a way of access verification to resources, data, and applications in the network. IAM supports the idea that each user has proper authentication permission.
IAM is mainly composed of three elements. First, it offers full monitoring and user access control. Enterprises can protect their businesses through these implementations. They can detect identity anomalies and restrict suspicious access to the resources.
To obtain a seamless access control process, enterprise managers must be aware of the user, consumer, and third-party movements. Then, managers can provide secure access to the applications and data resources with the help of Identity and Access Management.
In Conclusion
A hybrid work model is inevitable in today’s business environment. Due to changing requirements, enterprises adopting new technologies to pace up with the current needs. The hybrids work model support enterprises to switch their legacy systems into Cloud-based environments so more and more enterprise migrates to cloud systems.
This transformation brings some drawbacks with it and enterprises now should take extra precautions to avoid hybrid access threats. You can check, evaluate, and audit your enterprise and choose one or more systems to protect your organization mentioned above.