The hybrid work model became the ‘new normal’ for most new-generation businesses. Business owners are more inclined to transition to hybrid work from the traditional office environment, ranging from enterprises to start-ups.
Especially after COVID-19’s emergence, most enterprises preferred this work method to ensure their employees’ health and safety. Combined with the improved opportunities of the internet, hybrid work is not only necessary for health concerns but also desired as it saves a significant amount of time and financial resources.
Security risks of the hybrid work model
While the hybrid work model ensures the safety and security of employees, there is a growing concern about the security of corporate resources, data, and networks. While the hybrid work model enabled companies to acquire talents from all over the world, it also increased the number of endpoints that company resources reach. IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report also shows that due to the increased popularity of remote work, 2021 had the highest data breach cost in the last 17 years.
In a traditional work setting, companies are able to control the access level to their resources by using corporate computers, a single Wi-Fi connection, or a local server. However, as we all know, in the hybrid work model, the line between inside and outside the office is much thinner. Thus, it is much more prone to security breaches as it allows employees to work anywhere from the comfort of their home to a coffee shop with a questionably protected internet connection.
Without secure and encrypted access to corporate data and resources, companies are at risk for legal issues concerning information, cyberattacks, and losses due to data breaches. If enterprises are susceptible to information infringement, the hybrid work model will bring more harm than potential benefits.
How to secure remote access?
All businesses, whether they’re small start-ups or large corporations, need to grant secure access to their employees while using the hybrid work model. One way companies can achieve this is by implementing user access best practices so they can mitigate the inherent risks introduced when a user has access to a system, program, app, or network that they shouldn’t have access to.
Another potential issue of from-the-scratch safe network operations is the problem of integrating it into your business applications and pre-existing company infrastructure. While enabling safe and secure access to your employees, creating a seamless and effective remote work environment is also crucial.
What about plug-and-play Enterprise VPN services?
Running your business operations on an Enterprise VPN might be a better idea since you will not have to dedicate your IT team to maintain safe remote access. They create a VPN tunnel from your internal network to the hybrid employees. Thus, company resources stay protected from information breaches and visibility issues. No one except the employees in the private network can access corporate information.
Plus, in exchange for a small price for their subscription, they’ll act like an online security service committed to protecting your company’s data. Let’s see more on what makes these services a better and easier solution to your data breach risks.
- Plug-and-play and user friendly
Enterprise VPN providers don’t require any hardware for setup, and they are great to provide secure remote access to your employees quickly as they can be up and running in no time. Employees can access company resources safely without getting through new passwords thanks to the SSO. Getting rid of the headache of maintaining a private network is definitely one of the plus sides of these services.
- Applicable to existing business infrastructure
Transferring your operations from an unprotected network to secure access may create integration problems. Businesses of all sizes use a variety of tools to continue their operations, and Enterprise VPN services can effortlessly integrate with your existing business applications.
- Scalability and affordability
Companies with a significant budget might afford to create their own private network, but this is not convenient for small businesses and start-ups. However, Enterprise VPN providers are scalable as they charge based on the number of users. Monthly charges for these services can be as affordable as $10/mo. So they are applicable whether a company has ten employees or a thousand.
- Layered Protection
Companies have distinct and separated departments that have access to different resources. Enterprise VPN services have layered protection for different categories of company information, so you can easily decide who has access to what.
The best way to secure remote access
Corporate information is much more susceptible to hackers and cyberattacks with the increasing popularity of the hybrid work model. While this ‘new normal’ is favorable for most employers, it comes with significant cybersecurity risks. Without having a private network, company databases can be prone to hacking and result in profit losses and legal issues.
Enterprise VPN services seem to be the most affordable and reliable among a series of solutions. Some of the remarkable pros of these services are per-user-based fees, layered protection, and delivering plug-and-play solutions that are applicable to any hybrid work.