FEATURE : REMOTE WORKING
to help advance business and security objectives , from multi-factor authentication to SD-WAN . “ In turn , these solutions will also enable businesses to be more productive . Building out a robust cybersecurity plan for a hybrid workforce starts by identifying user types and establishing controls that protect the systems , networks , software and data they need for their jobs ,” he said . “ As part of a hybrid workplace cybersecurity strategy , organisations should also think about ways to better enforce authorisation and authentication
87 % OF PEOPLE TOLD US THAT THEY WANT GREATER OWNERSHIP IN DEFINING HOW AND WHEN THEY USE OFFICE SPACES – BLENDING BETWEEN BEING OFFICE-BASED AND WORKING REMOTELY .
Osama Al-Zoubi , CTO , Cisco Middle East and Africa policies . For example , multi-factor authentication makes it more difficult for a cybercriminal to compromise user accounts and passwords in a credential theft attack .”
Aside from the security concerns , other issues organisations should be looking at when developing and adopting a hybrid model include the benefits to employees from freedom to choose between tradition office environments and working remotely industry pundits noted .
Amir Sohrabi , Area VP for Emerging Markets , Citrix , said despite the practical benefits experienced by many people due to remote work , it is essential that companies pay attention to their employees ’ mental and physical well-being . Sohrabi said hybrid work models have the potential to create a new digital divide that , if left unchecked , will quickly establish two classes of workers and infuse the workplace with inequity and bias . “ To successfully make the leap , companies will need to implement technologies and new work policies that create an equitable environment , empowering both remote and in-office employees to engage and collaborate equally , transparently and efficiently ,” he said .
Feras Al Majed , Vice President of Human Resources and Communications at Gulf Business Machines , said there have been numerous advantages to organisations who have embraced a hybrid work model . Al Majed said most have gained the agility to respond to change quicker , by leveraging technology , embracing automation and accelerating Digital Transformation . “ The adoption of collaboration tools has also enhanced businesses , with work operating as normal while employees were at home ,” he said . “ There has also been a more efficient use of time during meetings which are held virtually and a better service to customers with quicker response times . This has also allowed employees to juggle everyday work and life commitments without having to take a career break .”
CIO challenges
Fadi Kanafani , Managing Director , Middle East , NetApp , said : “ CIOs and IT managers who were behind in their plans to build their data fabric faced much difficulty during the work from home mode . They had to make sure employees have access to tools and information to perform their jobs .”
Kanafani pointed out that they were accountable to ensure data protection and security especially that company ’ s critical and sensitive information are outside the perimeters of the physical building where there is hardly any control .
He said not having a cloud strategy was another challenge particularly that companies were able to leverage resources and services in the cloud to drive competitive advantage .
Emad Fahmy , Systems Engineering Manager , Middle East , NETSCOUT , said despite having proved to be advantageous , there is no denying that remote working has been a challenge for CIOs and IT teams as IT professionals have had to overcome connectivity and security issues . Fahmy said due to the increasing intricacy of digital infrastructure and services alongside the lack of visibility into them and their dependencies , IT has compensated for initial deficiencies in infrastructure to allow the optimal performance of the remote workforce . Another challenge is security . There has been the need to increase security measures as the workforce is spread out over a more significant number of networks , leaving room for more cybersecurity vulnerabilities ,” he said . “ This is also due to employees using various Internet of Things ( IoT ) devices to access their companies ’ data across multiple private and public networks , making it easier for unwanted threat actors to intercept their connection .”
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