A Secure Zero-Trust Model for the Hybrid Work Future

The pandemic has had a profound impact on people’s work habits, and most businesses expect some or all of their employees to work from remote locations permanently. Unfortunately, as firms try to acclimate to this new way of working, last year’s sudden transition has generated significant cybersecurity challenges.

For both employees and employers, some of the new security challenges include sharing the same network with family or friends, using the same device for business and personal activities, VPN security difficulties, and, of course, working remotely with distractions in personal lives. Furthermore, companies need to manage the tough task of remotely safeguarding many endpoints while minimizing further employee process friction.

In the face of such rapid change and the resulting security issues, enterprises must implement a reliable and secure zero-trust approach. This strategy meets the shared needs of enterprises and their employees for the hybrid workplace of the future.

Also Read: Cybersecurity in the Post-Pandemic World: Re-thinking Long-Term IT and Security strategies

Hidden threats

The expansion of remote working and associated devices has increased the organizational surface attack area available to hackers. Many businesses are trying to put in place the necessary infrastructure due to the rapid adoption of remote working. Organizations struggled to transition their workforces to a remote work model. As a result, businesses without strong cybersecurity systems have become attractive targets for hackers, who exploit security flaws and, in some high-profile cases, hold company data for ransom.

The failure of remote workers to control their conduct is a prevalent problem, as many are faced with extra distractions at their remote environment and they also engage in riskier than usual internet activities.

Similarly, a recent uptick in ransomware attacks is proving to be a serious threat and a constant source of concern for businesses. Typically, cybercriminals acquire access to a company’s networks by luring employees using phishing emails. In such circumstances, all it takes is a distracted employee and one click to grant a ransomware gang unauthorized access to a company’s systems.

With ransomware threats evolving, and the barrier between internal and external networks becoming increasingly blurred, businesses must prioritize cybersecurity for the benefit of all stakeholders. Many VPN solutions are unable to handle the large number of remote employees, making it difficult for teams to operate at the required speed and capacity. To address the cybersecurity needs of a modern business, a more efficient and capable alternative operating paradigm, such as zero-trust, is required.

The zero-trust model

Endpoint security is a crucial component of successfully implementing zero-trust architecture within a company. The current reality is that widespread remote work is here to stay, with numerous devices to handle and secure. As a result, organizations need a security model that can adapt to this paradigm and assist them in addressing the associated difficulties. This is accomplished through zero-trust, which allows IT and security teams to maintain visibility across all endpoints in a company’s network.

All endpoints and endpoint activities must be authenticated as a requirement, which reduces the risk of unauthorized access to enterprise networks. If any devices are compromised, the IT and security teams can swiftly identify them and isolate them before they infect the entire network.

VPNs cannot provide additional benefits that zero-trust can. It can aid workplaces in limiting permissions across a network, for instance. Furthermore, zero-trust is better equipped to operate while the network is under tremendous pressure, and thus better suited to assisting companies in maintaining a hybrid working model.

Also Read: Five Strategies for Addressing DDoS Attacks

The way forward

Overall, organizations should take a zero-trust strategy to empowering their IT and security staff in order to be appropriately equipped for working in the new normal. The entire enterprise is set up for success by providing them with the visibility they need to keep enterprise endpoints and networks safe.

The improved visibility provided by zero-trust model aids businesses in addressing many of the security issues that mass remote working has caused. They can now scan all endpoints for vulnerabilities before allowing employees access to corporate services — a critical capability for preventing cyber-attacks. Zero trust is the ideal approach for a hybrid working world because it is feasible regardless of employee location.