Hybrid Work is a Great Option, Provided You Address the Inherent Risks

Since the global COVID pandemic forcibly introduced many, many businesses to the benefits of remote operations, there has been an increase in interest in hybrid workplace operations—a combination of the standard, in-office operations with remote work all working in tandem. However, for all its benefits, there are some threats that hybrid work brings with it that need to be acknowledged as well.

Let’s discuss some of the challenges you’ll need to contend with as you operate in a hybrid fashion.

Maintaining Compliance

Compliance is something that every business needs to commit to, likely more than you might anticipate applying to you. Just consider how many laws and industry-specific regulations there are that specifically outline how your business needs to operate—how confident are you that your team members are acting in a way that abides by these regulations, whether they’re working in the office or from their homes?

The key to addressing this is really to provide your team with safe and compliant options and enforce their consistent use. For instance, rather than having your employees store company data on the hardware they are using, make sure that they are using your company’s secure cloud storage or onsite server. Make sure that they use a VPN (virtual private network) whenever they need to connect to your company’s network…and ideally, when you need to access the internet. Insist that your employees use approved communication tools as their means of collaborating.

While there are additional ways you need to ensure your compliance, these are the basics where hybrid operations are concerned.

Protecting Your Business Network

At the same time, you also need to ensure that your in-house protections aren’t neglected as you focus on your remote employees. Encrypting all data, whether it is being stored or actively shared, will help protect it from a hacker’s prying eyes…even if a device is lost or stolen.

It is also important that you keep up with the maintenance of your company’s various protections, like your firewalls and antivirus systems. Ensuring that these tools have up-to-date threat definitions will help to ensure they remain effective as new attacks are developed.

We Are Here to Help

Here at BNMC, our role is to help ensure your operations are productive and secure, regardless of where your team is operating from. Reach out to us at (978) 482-2020 to have a conversation about your needs and how we can help fill them.