Modern workspaces need modern security to succeed

One of the key requirements of the modern workplace is flexibility. A recent survey by PwC found that 79% of employees value the importance of flexible working to maintain a good work-life balance in the wake of the pandemic. This means that many employees may be working from home, the office, a mixture of the two, or even adopting a nomadic approach and working from abroad.

The benefits of a flexible modern workspace are clear, but there are potential security risks that come with having a borderless workforce. Operating outside the traditional office perimeter, employees may work on a mixture of public and private networks using both personal and corporate devices. Increasing the risk perimeter, this behaviour escalates the chance of cyberattacks, with businesses needing to upgrade their security approach as a result.

Be proactive

The need to keep employees safe online is a higher priority than ever before. IT heads are faced with a serious challenge - a workforce that is plugged into business-critical systems but with varying degrees of home security implementation, if any. Rather than trying to corral employees with a single rigid approach, businesses need to implement solutions that are as adaptable as the threats they face and allows them to stay agile in an ever-more competitive environment.

Research suggests that businesses with a proactive security strategy have 53% fewer cyberattacks and security breaches than comparable organisations. Staying ahead of the curve with solutions that can predict and prevent threats reduces business downtime, improves business agility, boosts productivity, and maintains a positive customer and employee experience.

The evolution of security demands

The old ways of managing cybersecurity issues, particularly the castle-and-moat strategy, which focused on creating an impenetrable barrier, are now outmoded. As people work at different times, in different environments, and on different devices, cybersecurity strategies need to be updated to reflect a flexible approach.

Establishing a holistic cybersecurity strategy that truly reflects how people work in 2022 requires businesses to make security an intrinsic part of their digital fabric. Companies need to consider how they can incorporate the flexibility and agility necessary to be successful in their security strategy, with special consideration to attack prediction and prevention.

Onboarding the experts

Businesses with modern workplaces need agile, modern security solutions to be able to adapt to opportunities in real-time. This need for proactive strategy requires an elevated level of attention and expertise that often doesn’t innately exist within businesses. The situation is further exacerbated by the war on talent, with candidate shortages having a pronounced impact on the cybersecurity job market. There are currently over three million global vacancies in the sector and almost 40% of companies are struggling to fill cloud computing security roles.

Partnering with a trusted IT service provider offers businesses a chance to transform their security. Additionally, those with a managed services proposition offer organisations an opportunity to safely scale their transformation, leaving the complexity of managing IT systems to experts who can maximise their value. By aligning business needs, transforming security into part of the digital fabric and scaling through managed services, businesses can unlock potential to see long-term sustainable growth.

Toby Alcock, CTO of Logicalis comments, 

“Working with a managed service provider (MSP) allows businesses to stay focused on growth while leaving the complexity of managing IT systems to dedicated experts who can maximise their value. A good MSP will have dedicated experts who are leaders at the forefront of transformation and security who can focus on ensuring the right business outcomes for a business without the need to hire additional in-house support.”

Remote requires a cautious approach

The rise in remote working has created the need for a more resilient, ‘baked in’ cybersecurity solution. Businesses risk losing momentum and falling behind the competition if they are not able to operate at speed with security integrated into their digital fabric.

To unleash their potential, businesses need to be proactive in their approach. A strong security strategy can be a powerful empowering innovation, fostering digital ability, accelerating agility and providing visibility over new opportunities. All done safely. A trusted managed service provider offers businesses a cost-effective solution to maintaining a continuous security response with access to up-to-date expertise, maximising value. Companies can then rest assured knowing that their employees and their data are firmly protected both now and in the future.

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