Hybrid work structures have become a popular choice for many modern companies. Not only do they add more flexibility when scaling a business, but they also help to create a better work-life balance for all employees.

However, while maintaining a decentralized workforce does come with a number of advantages, there are also certain risks associated with this format. Many of these risks are security-related and can lead to significant issues if they aren’t properly addressed.

Common Security Threats That Decentralized Teams Face

Having a decentralized workforce is a much more common business scenario than it was 10 years ago. As technology has continued to advance over the years, there are now more ways for organizations to stay productive while being supported by employees spread across the globe.

However, this shift has also created a unique set of security challenges that organizations need to address. Maintaining network integrity and ensuring data security and compliance has become much more nuanced, especially when employees are working outside secured locations. This opens up a variety of new risks, including:

Expanded Attack Surfaces. In the past, network security was primarily structured within fixed perimeters based on a physical office’s location and any infrastructure contained within it. This allowed for a much more straightforward approach to identifying and protecting potential vulnerabilities.

However, with a decentralized workforce, the number of access points to company data and systems multiplies exponentially. Employees connecting through their own personal devices and often using less secure public Wi-Fi networks create numerous potential risks. This distributed environment makes it considerably more complicated for organizations to track and address these risks effectively. It requires a shift in strategies outside of traditional perimeter-based security and using a more holistic strategy for addressing their entire digital attack surface.

Lack of Visibility. Another challenge of having a distributed workforce and maintaining consistent cybersecurity practices is not having enough visibility into employee activities.

Organizations frequently provide employees with access to cloud-based services to support their remote operations and help their business grow. However, over time, the sheer number of service subscriptions and multiple layers of user access can become difficult to manage. This lack of clear visibility on the amount of assets and who has access to them can create a number of security vulnerabilities.

Without proper tracking and management, the risk of compromised credentials increases, making it easier for unauthorized individuals to infiltrate the system and access confidential business information.

Poor Security on Personal Devices. Some companies provide remote workers with company laptops, but others permit employees to use their own personal computers and mobile devices for work. While this can be more convenient and cost-effective, it does create more potential weak points that can be exploited.

Personal devices, like smartphones and laptops, often lack the stronger security measures that businesses need when ensuring data security and compliance. They may run outdated operating systems and frequently don’t have the right firewalls or endpoint protection in place. These make them more susceptible to cyberattacks and could lead to larger company breaches if not addressed.

How to Keep Your Remote Workforce Safer

Protecting remote teams from cybersecurity threats requires careful planning and execution. Here are some key strategies you can follow to ensure to help keep your business secure:

Leverage Zero Trust Principles. Many companies operate under the assumption that their staff will only use their assigned system permissions responsibly and ethically. While most employees likely don’t intend to cause any intentional harm to their employers, login information can easily be compromised, allowing bad actors disguised as legitimate users to gain access to sensitive company data or vital infrastructure.

To address this vulnerability, a common practice is adopting Zero Trust security frameworks. These models operate on the core tenet of “verify everything, trust nothing.” This means there are ongoing authentication procedures for all users and devices, irrespective of an individual’s role or level of clearance within the company. This approach dramatically decreases the chances of unauthorized access and limits the potential damage caused by security incidents.

Harden Your Endpoint Security. Businesses need to take the time to safeguard any devices that connect to their networks, from laptops and desktops to mobile devices. Endpoint security tools are essential for managing and protecting these different access points, and highly advanced security protocols are used to help maintain network safety.

Endpoint security solutions often incorporate antivirus and anti-malware software. They also frequently use intrusion detection systems, which monitor network traffic for unusual activity and help administrators execute immediate responses if and when anomalies are discovered.

Evaluate Third-Party Vendors. Outsourcing essential services to third-party vendors is a common practice for modern organizations. While these partnerships can help to support business growth, they also can introduce new risks to data security.

A data breach that occurs at a vendor can expose their client’s information, potentially holding the client themselves liable for any data leakage that occurs. This is why routine vendor audits are important for verifying adherence to established security standards.

A structured vendor assessment helps to systematically assess existing security protocols against industry best practices. This is a key factor in determining the long-term viability and security of the vendor relationship.

Work With Outside Security Teams. As companies begin to grow, managing all aspects of cybersecurity becomes increasingly more challenging. A smart move for many organizations is collaborating with an outside security provider to handle these more specialized needs.

Outside security firms employ a variety of cybersecurity experts who use highly advanced tools and strategies to harden a company’s security defenses. This can involve ongoing arrangements for services like penetration testing and other managed security solutions.

Keep Your Remote Working Employees More Secure. To keep your decentralized workforce more sustainable, having strict security measures in place is essential. By implementing the strategies discussed, you help to keep your remote working employees safer while protecting the business’s critical data assets.