Data Protection in the Time of COVID19: Securing a Remote Workforce

Data Protection in the Time of COVID19: Securing a Remote Workforce

With the spread of COVID-19, employers are having to adapt their day-to-day operations at an unprecedented speed. An escalating number of companies are adopting work-from-home policies in response to the outbreak, thus placing increased strains on IT departments. As the number of remote workers increases, so do cyber-attacks, placing sensitive data at risk.

The current situation has created a very opportunistic situation for cyber hackers. Many home networks lack the software to safeguard laptops and other endpoint data from corruption, deletion, and opportunistic malware and ransomware attacks, that would usually be provided in offices. This increases the risk of malware finding its way onto devices and into corporate infrastructures. IT leaders now have the critical role and responsibility of securing their employees’ safety, business continuity, protecting their data and ensuring that ransomware attacks do not further compound the already disrupted work environment.

• What are some of the hurdles and challenges that IT leaders are facing as a direct result of the global pandemic?
• What measures are IT leaders implementing to overcome these new working dynamics?
• What long-term and short-term impacts will the outbreak have on businesses and industries as a whole?