The Covid-19 pandemic has forced large parts of Australia into long periods of lockdown. There is increasing concern over the long-term effect this will have on businesses, both financially and from a cybersecurity perspective. Businesses are faced with the need to cut costs to deal with the financial impact of lockdown while maintaining the level of services they offer to their customers.
Unfortunately, cybersecurity controls are often the first to be cut when it comes to cost-saving. Even in the best-case scenario where no cost-cutting is imposed, for many businesses it can be a challenge to get additional spending approved to improve on existing cybersecurity measures.
This provides a great opportunity for cybercriminals. Driven by surge in phishing and ransomware, cybercriminals are exploiting the pandemic and preying on businesses that do not have effective cybersecurity measures in place.
It’s important to remember that not all cybersecurity risk mitigation plans need massive investment. With vendors moving their products and services to the cloud and enabling scalable, flexible options, now is the perfect time for businesses to adopt these services.
Here are 6 strategies to keep your workforce productive and secure:
- Patching – Ensure laptops and desktops are being patched while outside of the office.
- Better endpoint protection – Upgrade your endpoint protection to XDR (Extended Detection and Response) or at least EDR (Endpoint detection and response).
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Enable MFA wherever is possible. There are examples of breaches in the news daily that could have been avoided by MFA.
- Security awareness training – Users need frequent reminders about how important cybersecurity is and how to protect company assets. Working from home has reduced our interaction with peers, and could cause employees to let their guard down.
- Cybersecurity Policy – Implement a work from home policy addressing the use of work computers. Family members should not be permitted to use work equipment under any circumstances. Ensure this policy is clearly communicated to all staff members.
- Employee wellbeing – Longer working hours and the mental pressures of lockdown and home-schooling are contributing to an increasingly stressed workforce. Employees tend to make more mistakes when under pressure or tired, leaving them vulnerable to malicious e-mails and phishing. Where possible, encourage a healthy work-life balance.
You may also be interested in our vCISO or CISO-as-a-Service. This consultancy IT solution brings expertise and guidance to business leaders who need help securing their organisation – without the burden of hiring a full-time resource. Read the service overview here.
If you would like to discuss any of these strategies, or if you have any cybersecurity concerns, reach out to us. Industry certified and backed by decades of experience, our innovative and agile security solutions and risk management services defend against cyber villains and other web nasties, every hour of every day.
