CLOUD AND CYBER
“ The expectation of a level of protection from the office network firewall is missing ; in fact , it has to be explicitly breached to allow remote working ”
TIM BROOKS OPERATIONS DIRECTOR , BOTPROBE
We spoke to Tim Brooks , Operations Director at Botprobe , about whether businesses should be taking extra precautions in regard to data whilst remote working . “ Absolutely . The expectation of a level of protection from the office network firewall is missing ; in fact , it has to be explicitly breached to allow remote working . There is still a need for antivirus , patching , browser security . etc . that can be straightforwardly maintained on the remote work computer , but that co-existence with a plethora of unknown , unmanaged , devices on the home network provides a wealth of opportunities for the hacker to quietly and systematically look for entry points , copy and analyse data streams , etc .”
There is always an element of risk with cloud computing and trusting someone else with your data . Cloud storage is often ideal for companies as it provides the reassurance that important documents and data will not be lost if someone ’ s hard drive breaks , and the cloud is also accessible from anywhere that has an internet connection . Cloud providers invest heavily in their security systems and most have multiple layers of protection , such as encryption and multifactor authentication .
With the expectation that remote working is here to stay , for many businesses it is even more imperative to reinforce security awareness . Protecting data is important for everyone , whether that be staff or customers , therefore businesses should be putting the provisions in place to ensure data cannot be misused or misdirected whilst at home .
There are certain steps businesses can take to ensure data will be protected such as making sure security software , such as firewalls and antivirus software , are up to date , setting secure passwords and ensuring all internet connections are secure . In considering how secure your data is and the different options available to businesses , the one element that must not be forgotten or neglected is the human element and therefore it is imperative for businesses to ensure that they educate and train their staff to follow the correct procedures which is key to certifying that all data they have access to is handled and stored safely .
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