Millions of workers the world over have started telecommuting. For some businesses, the switch only required a few adjustments. For others, massive transitions are underway. Companies with outdated infrastructures were not ready for the change. The process of going remote has IT professionals working overtime! Here at GoComputek, the good practices we’ve had in place all along allowed our clients to transition smoothly.
Security Concerns
Business continuity is not the only issue to be concerned about at the moment. Everyone is thinking about getting up and running. Who is looking at the IT security of the solutions being implemented? The problems with Zoom are a perfect example of what can happen. IT security needs to be a priority. Millions of people have started using the meeting platform during this time of quarantine. Because of this, glaring IT security issues in the software have come to light. This puts users’ information and devices at high risk of a cyber attack.
As Brian Finch, reporting for The Hill, notes “[The] focus on generating stable networks, while understandable, has also led most IT professionals to pay scant attention to […] hacking threats slowly being husbanded by foreign nations. Countering those threats should in fact be addressed with utmost urgency, as they represent serious weaknesses in America’s key networks at a time when they need to be more secure than ever.” Millions of workers are working from home. Thus, there is a need for increased IT security.
Threats Unchecked
Remote work itself is not the problem. David Gardiner is the Executive Vice President and President of ITOM for IT management software provider at Solar Winds. He highlights that, “Newly remote employees may not have the right security protection and will need IT pro assistance installing VPNs, updating patches, and obtaining access rights. A high volume of remote employees can test firewalls and saturate VPNs. This causes performance and availability issues or a security threat. If VPNs are bypassed, bad actors will take advantage, challenging organizations to filter the signal from the noise.”
Trusted Solutions for Small Business
How can you be sure that your security protocols will stand up to the influx of remote workers? Here at GoComputek, we were hard at work ensuring our clients’ security. First, we set up structures long before the pandemic became an issue. Jiovanny Gonzalez, President of GoComputek explains:
Our security practices are excellent because they are based on a confluence of leading security principles. These include zero-trust architecture and vendor best practices. Second, we use NIST guidelines. NIST guidelines include a more modern form of network segmentation. In addition, we use security practices such as setting up offline networks and servers. We have dedicated management PCs. And we have detailed systems monitoring and alerting.
The practices that were once thought of as something only the government needs are the security threats everyone sees today. Therefore, we need be concerned about them because there is a new normal in the high-security space.
The problem really lies in the IT professionals themselves because many of them have not been trained with a focus on security. This is especially true of the older generation of IT professionals. Our multi-tiered approach to security is effective because it actually assumes the enemy is already inside your network with a list of your system administrator password(s). This approach then sets traps and additional layers of complexity. This slows down the bad actors. It even sets off alarms to alert your team of their presence before they can do any real damage. Moreover, our security protocols assume the problems already exist. They can address issues like a pandemic, saturation, natural disaster. As a result, nothing catches us or our clients by surprise. We are always ready for new challenges. The good decisions made yesterday empower us today.
A Comprehensive Approach
Functionality. Ease of use. Effectiveness. Productivity. Continuity. Security. All of these are necessary for IT success. At GoComputek, we don’t sacrifice one of these elements in favor of another. Instead, we look at the whole picture and implement systems that take all factors into account. We work diligently because we care about our customers. Therefore, we make sure each customer achieves their goals at an affordable IT price.
Let us know if you are concerned about the IT security of your networks. Your employees are logging in remotely and need additional measures put in place. We are happy to give you a free assessment by our experts of your current IT security measures. Best of all, we will give you commitment-free recommendations for your company. This way you will know what the optimal IT security measures are necessary to keep you up and running.
