Six Steps to A Vibrant Remote Workforce [Part 2]

When employees were first sent to work from home, organizations scrambled to provide work-from-home software, devices, and infrastructure. As we transition to a new normal, it’s now important to reevaluate the initial infrastructure laid to support remote workers against a lasting, best-practice architecture. In the last entry, I shared the first three pillars for a thriving remote workforce. Let’s now explore the final three pillars.

There is an old saying: “Make your first crisis not be a real one.” Never has that been more apropos than during the past few months, with the COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown and shelter-in-place restrictions that most Americans have lived under. Now, we have lived in crisis situations before, and COVID-19 is not going to be our last or only pandemic, but it has been unique because of its universal impact, with almost no one spared; its duration; and the tidal wave of change it has brought about in the way we conduct work, socialize, access information, participate in the political process, and protect ourselves both physically and virtually.

Business travelers and those who have traditionally worked from home have enjoyed the evolution of connecting via mobile apps for a while now. For some though, recent events may have just introduced them to the possibility of doing so. Let's take a closer look at some of these service types, and review ways to incorporate additional layers of security while connecting your newly remote corporate users to them.

Operating a remote workforce is no longer just a remote possibility. A work-from-home war is being quietly waged across many organizations throughout the country, as workers who were forced to quickly establish home office environments now wish to remain in their home rather than return to commuting to an office. This tipping point has deep and wide ramifications for organizations attempting to return to pre-COVID-19 productivity levels. 

As the world struggles with the fallout from COVID-19, all aspects of life are quickly changing. Millions of workers are now working from home or other remote locations outside of the normal security configurations of an office. Fraudsters are taking advantage of this disruption to actively steal information that they can monetize. In many cases, companies were not prepared to deal with a large work-from-home workforce, and when they transitioned their employees to remote environments, they mainly considered threats like phishing or cyberattacks.

Every 11 seconds, someone within the United States is infected with ransomware. That means that by the time you finish reading this blog post, almost 30 people will have their data locked and encrypted unless they pay a cybercriminal a ransom of hundreds or thousands of dollars (hopefully it’s not YOU!).

Security and risk management are always in fashion, but they’re now hotter than ever—and they can help you achieve your organization’s strategic goals.

Zoom: Perception vs. Reality

Negative Press:

We have undoubtedly all heard the many reports questioning the security readiness of Zoom as of late. Are there impactful vulnerabilities, and is Zoom safe? We have even seen negative fallout due to some of the reported concerns. For example, the New York City school system has banned the use of Zoom as a direct result of the perceived security flaws within the Zoom platform. The problem is, much of what we are hearing is more about perception than reality, and the challenge is to sift through the facts versus fiction.

By now, you are in the midst of working from home and trying to define what the “new normal” looks like for you and your family. Reflecting on what that has looked like for me over the course of the past month, I noticed some details that raised my level of concern.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to compel people to work from home, countless companies are now holding daily meetings using web, audio, and video conferencing services from a variety of well-known providers. Though not the sole focus of our attention here, one that has received a significant amount of press is Zoom.