Managing a Remote Team Without Compromising Cybersecurity Standards

The rise of remote work has created unprecedented cybersecurity risks for companies. In 2021, 76% of cybersecurity professionals noted that remote work resulted in increased attacks, with potential business losses topping $6.9 billion.

If you’re managing a remote team, you need to make sure your employees can work effectively in a cloud environment while maintaining a strong security posture. The good news is that there are steps you can take to address this challenge. With the proper cybersecurity standards in place, your remote team can function securely without sacrificing efficiency or collaboration.

Password Managers

The remote work setting requires employees to log in to multiple applications. In many organizations, login credentials are user-generated and reused across services, so it's no surprise that passwords are common targets for malicious actors.

Password managers are an effective way to improve your organization's cybersecurity. With a password manager, your team can avoid storing sensitive credentials in documents, reusing codes, or choosing overly simple phrases – any of which can lead to data capture.

A password manager can generate complex credentials, autofill forms, and encrypt data for centralized storage or sharing. Not only is this a secure solution, but it’s also faster and more efficient for your team.

Multi-Factor Authentication

You can further improve your cybersecurity standards using multi-factor authentication. This solution provides another layer of security to prevent malicious actors from gaining a foothold in your organization's network.

To verify identity using multi-factor authentication, employees must provide both login credentials and a second form of identification, such as a confirmation SMS text or a face scan. If an unauthorized user obtains passwords through harvesting or phishing, additional verification requirements can block access.

Securing the Cloud

Remote workplaces rely on the cloud to collaborate and store data. While cloud services offer convenience, they also present opportunities for attack.

To secure your cloud environment, ensure you have strong credentials and multi-factor authentication in place.  Instruct remote employees to use only approved cloud services, and configure those services to prevent unauthorized access. Strict permissions and access controls are useful practices for protecting your network.

As organizations move large amounts of data to the cloud, data loss and denial-of-service attacks become greater risks for businesses. Monitoring network traffic through automated tools can alert your IT team to unusual activity. Keep cloud services patched and fully updated to eliminate gaps.

Although it may be tempting to outsource data storage, keep in mind that in the event of a service denial or ransomware attack, your organization may lose access to data, possibly forever. Make sure to encrypt data and create local backups to protect your organization from data loss.

Cybersecurity Awareness Training

Insider risk is a major security issue in the remote workplace. When employees have the opportunity to work outside the corporate IT environment using unsecured wifi or unauthorized cloud apps, their choices can increase security risks. According to recent research, only about a third of employees feel proactive about cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity awareness training is key to making sure your team follows a robust cybersecurity program. Employees should know how to recognize and report phishing attacks -- a common method by which malicious actors trick users into revealing credentials or downloading malware. Remote workers should also understand how to transfer files securely, connect to wifi through an approved VPN, follow corporate policy on personal devices, and use approved cloud services. By increasing employee awareness, you can reduce attack incidents and improve security compliance.

Secure Your Remote Workforce With CyberTeam

The fallout from cyberattacks can severely damage your business and your relationships with clients and customers. Managing a remote team brings added challenges. It can be difficult to maintain cybersecurity standards in a remote workplace, especially for managers with limited time and resources.

CyberTeam offers expert insights into your company’s security posture. We provide an all-in-one approach to cybersecurity that includes identifying risks, targeting threats, and preventing escalation. With over 25 years of industry experience, our team offers the latest technology and expertise to make sure your staff achieves security compliance.

Managing a remote team doesn’t mean you have to compromise on cybersecurity standards. CyberTeam can partner with you to provide personalized risk management solutions and support your remote workforce, so you can focus on growing your business. Contact CyberTeam to schedule your risk assessment.