A global pandemic does not happen every day. Can companies really be expected to prepare for these exceptional situations? PATRICK OLIVER GRAF: Even before the pandemic, other incidents have made it necessary for employees to work from home. Hurricane Sabine in Germany and Central Europe at the beginning of the year, heavy snowfall, natural disasters or chemical mishaps – all are examples of incidents that can prevent employees from coming to the offi ce to work. And it is important not to overlook manufacturing processes – production plants that have already implemented secure remote maintenance have made a wise decision.
What should companies learn from the situation? PATRICK OLIVER GRAF: Companies are generally at an advantage if they are fl exible and can scale the solutions they use up or down to match the current demand. Ideally, they would only pay for what they use like the pay-per-use models that we have long been accustomed to in the consumer sector. Companies need to understand that securing external access to the company network via VPN is an important means of maintaining business continuity, beyond being an important part of cyber security strategy. Flexible remote working is, in many cases, the only way to keep operations running in 2020.
What are the cyber risks associated with working from home? PATRICK OLIVER GRAF: Companies are currently under pressure to provide secure work equipment, but also to raise their employees’ awareness of cyber security issues. Data protection and privacy laws play an important role here, and companies and their employees need to be acutely aware of the implication of these laws on the data they are processing.
Adapting the company’s network infrastructure and cyber security strategy to allow employees to work from home poses complex challenges, but these generally already apply to remote working, even when employees use their laptops in hotels and airports when traveling for business.
Are there any solutions and best practices that companies could consider? PATRICK OLIVER GRAF: Yes, there defi nitely are solutions and best practices to be considered. In comparison with the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) model, companies that provide devices for their employees to use are in a better position to manage security. Today, very granular access to the corporate
Even before the pandemic, other incidents have made it necessary for employees to work from home.
network can be confi gured, with a focus on strong authentication as well as automated monitoring of connected systems – e.g., verifying that the Operating System and virus scanner are up to date, to name just a few examples.
Are there positive lessons to be learned from the current situation? PATRICK OLIVER GRAF: The Coronavirus pandemic has certainly put its fi nger on the sore spot of globalization and digitalization, but this, in the long term, will ensure that the impact of IT security on business objectives is much better understood by decision makers. Patrick Oliver Graf (pictured, right) is CEO & Managing Director at NCP engineering GmbH.
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