{"id":5234,"date":"2023-09-05T14:16:16","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T21:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.golinks.com\/blog\/?p=5234"},"modified":"2024-10-17T00:07:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T07:07:23","slug":"secure-remote-workforce-and-streamline-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.golinks.com\/blog\/secure-remote-workforce-and-streamline-efficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Balance Security and Efficiency in a Remote Workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For many IT leaders, maintaining a secure remote workforce can feel a lot like the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. If you err on the side of being too<\/em> cautious with security, it often means sacrificing remote workers\u2019 productivity and privacy. However, relax your security standards too much, and you open your workforce up to security risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, we\u2019ll guide you through finding the perfect Goldilocks security protocol that\u2019s not too strict, yet not too loose \u2014 so you can enable a secure remote workforce. Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The importance of securing your remote workforce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When employees work in an office, they\u2019re often connecting to a secure network and using sanctioned company devices for their work. Once your workforce goes remote, however, they often use their home or public Wi-Fi networks and personal devices to carry out their work. Many employees will also introduce new software into their workflows without getting approval from IT \u2014 which means the new apps may not meet your security standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since IT teams can\u2019t peer over every employee\u2019s shoulder at home, it can be hard to know whether employees are using software that poses security risks to your organization. In fact, according to a CORE research report, employee use of shadow IT has increased by 59%<\/a> since organizations moved to a remote-first model during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Considering that close to 50% of cyberattacks<\/a> are due to shadow IT \u2014 and that the average data breach costs companies $4.45 million<\/a> \u2014 IT teams are right to worry about the security risks introduced by remote work. Ensuring a secure remote workforce setup requires a comprehensive, work-from-home security strategy that\u2019s focused on protecting both company and employee data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Challenges of keeping workflows efficient – while maintaining security<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Learning that the average data breach costs companies over $4 million might make you want to take a hardline approach to remote security: Lock. It. Down.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, paradoxically, implementing overly strict security rules can often have the opposite effect on your company\u2019s security. When employees aren\u2019t allowed to download apps, install new software, or work on their preferred browsers, their productivity will often take a hit. And that\u2019s generally when they begin to engage in unsafe cyber behavior: in fact, the most common internal breaches<\/a> are usually a result of employees breaking security rules that slow down their productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results of those breaches can be costly, too, with large organizations spending an average of $22 million each year to correct insider-related security incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, this doesn\u2019t mean tossing work security protocols out the window. However, it does highlight the importance of ensuring that your security guidelines don\u2019t slow employees down. A few practices for securing your remote workforce without hindering productivity can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n