Remote/Hybrid workforce
that staff were able to do their job on their own laptops via a hastily installed VPN, that was enough to satisfy MDs that they could keep the wheels turning. It didn’t matter that the device wasn’t domain controlled in any way or had inadequate antivirus soſtware installed. Depending on the nature of an organisation, issuing an employee a company laptop is not a prerequisite for an employee being able to do their job remotely. Tese were the kinds of questions asked by companies looking to reduce their expenditure, in order to weather the oncoming economic storm. What some firms didn’t account for was the untold hours lost by employees operating with poorly configured devices, and the inherent risk posed by assets operating independent of a company’s domain, without user access controls or adequate malware protection.
Network security Even before the pandemic, most firms operated with at least a basic level of Email Protection – either direct via their email provider, or as part of a broader security solution – that identified malicious activity at source, and took steps to protect individual accounts targeted by cybercriminals looking to extract money and/or data from unsuspecting employees. Network security was, and still is, a far bigger consideration.
Pre-COVID, most organisations only had to accommodate a small percentage of their workforce that needed to work from home or on the road, usually limited to Account Managers, Sales Consultants and travelling executives. As such, VPN setups ranged from a hodgepodge of port-forwarding rules that opened RDP sessions within ‘always on’ devices, to tightly controlled SSL connections originating from industry-standard hardware that allowed traffic within a strict set of parameters. Broadly speaking, the average businesses setup lies somewhere in-between. Once again, it’s a question of cost. Firms (usually smaller
organisations) who entered the pandemic with switching and routing hardware that did just enough to facilitate remote working requirements were generally satisfied with having the ability to provide a VPN service to all employees that needed it and weren’t overly concerned with the need to re-evaluate the finer aspects of offsite connectivity such as remote access policies or any number of enhanced network security measures. Despite MSPs shouting from the rooſtops about the need to operate with new hardware, some firms are entrenched in thinking that if something works, that’s enough. Cynical customers will see any new security proposal from a hardware manufacturer or outsourced IT department as an expedient ploy to generate new business. On the flipside, running a remote working operation from a 7-year-old router (and an even older switch!) that can’t even accept a new firmware upgrade is a ticking timebomb.
Lack of IT governance & internal control Most firms operate with at least a basic IT policy that covers off use of company data, permitted browsing activity and password divulgence. Unfortunately, unless a firm has obtained ISO 9001/27001, or is subject to additional regulatory scrutiny from an Ombudsman or public authority, this is usually where it ends.
www.pcr-online.biz December/January 2022 | 35 Te vast majority of UK employees understand the risks involved
in their daily working life, when it comes to using company data and accessing a secure commercial network. Tis can sometimes lead firms down the road of assuming that their data is in safe hands wherever it’s being used, and dismisses a ground-level Zero Trust approach as an administrative headache. Te so-called “castle and moat” approach to data security needs to be consigned to the dustbin of IT history. Organisations need to assume that, with the meteoric rise of remote working, corporate IT networks are now inherently less secure than they ever have, albeit to varying degrees depending on how they are configured. Businesses need to ensure that every last file is only accessible by
those who need to view it, and editing permissions are treated with the respect that they deserve, as opposed to allowing authorised users to amend large amounts of data based on the fact that they are authenticated on the network.
A reliance on onsite hardware For firms contemplating making the move to cloud-based methods of working, if an ever-increasing demand for remote working hasn’t identified an urgent need to do away with a reliance on onsite unmanaged hardware, then perhaps nothing will. Risking company data doesn’t necessarily mean exposing it to cybercriminals. It can also mean running outdated servers or data storage devices that aren’t designed to facilitate remote connections by default, and run the risk of data corruption and the resulting loss of business continuity that even the most finely-tuned BUDR/HA plans are not able to prevent. Businesses, however, cannot be expected to instantly grasp the
ins and outs of complex concepts such as IaaS, PaaS and numerous ways of providing desktop architecture in the cloud (Azure Virtual Desktop, Cloud PC via Microsoſt 365) that complements a remote working operation. MSPs and IT service providers need to re- think the ways in which they sell and implement infrastructure solutions that encourages a wholesale shiſt towards platforms that may be slightly less profitable at point of sale without and hardware markup, but are markedly more secure for the dual purposes of remote working and data storage.
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