EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
MARK LUKIE , SALES ENGINEER MANAGER – APAC , BARRACUDA
As businesses come to terms with operating in a post-COVID pandemic world , many are realizing that the issue of trust has never been more important . It applies in a range of different ways . There needs to be trust within the business , with partner and suppliers and with the entire customer base . Businesses that fail to recognize this could find themselves increasingly losing out to better-prepared rivals .
A critical component of trust is robust IT security . Now that staff are more likely to be working away from the office for an extended period , ensuring they are protected at all times has never been more important .
When evaluating an organization ’ s existing levels of trust and security , there are a number of steps that need to be taken . These include :
Implement a zero trust security strategy : With large numbers of staff now working outside the traditional IT infrastructure perimeter , consider embracing the concept of zero trust to maintain effective security .
Zero trust requires users and the IT resources they are trying to access to be authorized before that access is granted . It is effective to ensuring solid security regardless of where staff happen to be located . It does require a full rethink of how security is achieved but acceptance is become more widespread .
Assess cloud security measures : As organizations make greater use of cloud-based services and resources , time should be taken to ensure the security measures that have been put in place .
User awareness training : During the past 12 months , organizations have had to make large changes to operations in a very short space of time . Now that conditions are somewhat more settled , it ’ s time to ensure that all staff are on the same page when it comes to trust and security .
Conduct a series of training sessions during which the new ways of working are examined , together with the implications that changes have had for trust and security . Ensure all staff are aware of the roles they must play and the steps they need to take to ensure appropriate security measures are in place and operational .
Highlight the threat landscape : Cybercriminals have been making the most of the changed work patterns and are actively targeting people who are working from home . Inform all staff of the latest attack vectors and the steps they need to be taking to avoid falling victim .
Required security will be more complex if a hybrid cloud approach has been taken . The tools deployed to protect existing on-premise applications and data storage devices will likely be different from those needed to secure cloud-based resources .
Develop an ingrained culture of security and trust : To maintain effective security over an extended period , it must become deeply ingrained with an organization ’ s corporate culture . Constantly communicate with staff to ensure they know and understand what steps are being taken and why they are necessary .
By following these steps , an organization will be much better placed to ensure effective levels of both security and trust are maintained at all times . This will ensure operations can continue both during the COVID recovery period and during the months and years that will follow .
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO APAC 33