Virtually every company needs a comprehensive strategy for hybrid work security in 2024. Currently, business leaders are attempting to push employees back into the office with ever-evolving “return to office” mandates. However, most agree that the future of work is still hybrid.
Flexible work is still a priority for today’s employees, and many business leaders agree a hybrid model helps to reduce operational costs, employee turnover, and productivity losses. However, a distributed workforce presents its own set of challenges, primarily in the security landscape.
As employees continue to connect with colleagues and share data from various environments, using countless different tools and resources, security threats are growing. Here are the core reasons why business leaders need to make hybrid work security a priority in 2024.
1. Flexible Work Isn’t Going Anywhere
Companies in countless industries have begun doubling down on return-to-work mandates in recent years, hoping to encourage employees to spend more time in the office. However, few believe that they’ll ever be able to bring teams back to the office full-time. One KMPG study found only a third of the CEOs in high-value companies expect a full return to the office to happen in the next three years.
While trying to force team members back into the office may seem like a good way to eliminate common hybrid work security threats, the strategy simply doesn’t work. Business leaders end up losing crucial staff members unwilling to compromise on flexibility. Even if you manage to get most team members back into the office full-time, there’s a good chance they’ll end up using their own preferred devices, software, and tools to maintain a level of flexibility.
BYOD, BYOM, and similar strategies are becoming increasingly common among companies that want to retain team members. However, each new method of implementing “flexibility” in the workplace comes with its own security challenges to consider. A comprehensive hybrid work security strategy is the only way to mitigate evolving risks.
2. Hybrid Work Security and Compliance Standards Evolve
The continued popularity of hybrid work and flexible working strategies is directly impacting the security mandates and guidelines imposed by industry regulators. Data is widely regarded as the world’s most valuable asset, and virtually every industry has specific rules for collecting, storing, and using data.
In the last couple of years, major regulators have imposed billions of dollars in fines against organizations failing to implement holistic governance strategies. As the way we collaborate evolves, thanks to the rise of mobile devices and different messaging apps, companies are under increasing pressure to ensure they’re collecting and protecting the right data across multiple channels.
A holistic hybrid work security strategy ensures businesses can carefully consider their entire workplace and digital communications strategies and implement comprehensive strategies in line with new “digital communication governance” initiatives.
3. Hybrid Work Security Attacks are Evolving
Cybercriminals have always been resourceful and inventive. As companies continue to embrace the hybrid working model, criminal entities have begun launching ever-more sophisticated attacks against employees and teams. We’ve seen an astronomical rise in phishing emails and fake websites used to collect crucial login details and data from team members.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is emerging as a major resource for cyber criminals. Bad actors have begun using AI “deepfakes” and voice simulators to trick contact center leaders, and bypass standard authentication strategies. AI tools are even helping criminals create and automate larger-scale data attacks on businesses of all sizes.
As threats grow more sophisticated, a comprehensive hybrid work security strategy will be crucial to ensuring businesses are protecting all of their key assets, data, and consumers. Organizations will need to take a comprehensive approach to everything from endpoint protection to call and meeting security and even network security.
4. Built-in Security Features aren’t Always Enough
Leading vendors creating crucial tools for internal collaboration, customer service, and productivity are aware of the risks emerging in the hybrid work landscape.
