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IN A TIME OF HYBRID

WORKFORCES , NETWORK SECURITY MAY BE MORE COMPLICATED ,

BUT CAN STILL BE AS EFFECTIVE . person to access what they need – and nothing more – should be the basic foundation when setting up access policies . First , doublecheck your permissions to ensure appropriate access levels have been established ; revise them if necessary . Next , consider deploying conditional access policies based on the context of users ’ activity , like limiting access based on IT-determined groups or requiring step-up authentication when a user is trying to log in outside of their normal activity , hours or location . Context and condition avoid an overly permissive IT environment , mitigating the threats posed by stolen or shared credentials and compromised devices .

Trust the network

There is no doubt that network security was easier to establish when workers entered a physical building with a key card , then sat down at a designated terminal to log in . In a time of hybrid workforces , network security may be more complicated , but can still be as effective . For SMEs on the smaller side , whitelisting individual IP addresses might be an option . For larger ones , limiting traffic to a range of IP addresses , using geofences to restrict traffic outside of approved geographic areas , or deploying a virtual private network ( VPN ) can prevent unauthorised access by bad actors .

The frontier of IT security

The pandemic accelerated changes in the IT landscape that now look permanent , and SMEs are now tasked with securing their users without adding excess cost or friction . Workers will continue to log in from around the globe – and do so on an increasingly complicated combination of devices . A holistic approach to IT security addresses potential vulnerabilities at each point of access , delivering a multi-layer model that can successfully manage your organisation ’ s identities in all contexts . �