There are many risks involved when running a business, the monetary loss being one of the major security issues that you may face. A lesser risk is that of data loss, which can easily occur as a result of workers being careless or accessing company data offsite. With the rise of remote working, this has become more and more common in the modern workforce.
The security of company data is an ongoing issue for companies UK-wide. Recently, Apricorn – leading provider of software-free and encrypted USB drives – announced new researchregarding the security risks involved in the lack of protection regarding data.
Strategy
Surprisingly, the data found that a third of those participating had already experienced data loss or breach as a result of mobile working. Many had no protocol in place for remote working, meaning that their data was continually at risk; something that they were aware of. Many companies conceded that although security measures were in place, they had no real way to enforce them. Such a gap in security is a huge risk for the delicate data of the company and poses a dilemma for company strategy going forward.
Further Security Risks
Compact discs, pen drives and other removable devices were also a risk exposed by the study. Easy to lose or steal, they also posed a threat of introducing malware to the network from employee’s personal devices. Some try to curtail this and use cloud storage in order to allow remote workers access to the files they need to work; however, this too poses certain risks, such as numerous accounts that are unmonitored, susceptibility to being hacked without proper security in place and data leakage as a result of weak user credentials.
The financial implications of these risks are great, only increasing the larger your company becomes and the more financially successful. More so in 2018, when enforcement by the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will introduce even heftier fines, something which many UK-based companies seem to be largely unaware of.
Further training and protocols regarding data safety is a must in order to help keep data safe when being accessed by remote workers. As the new generation of workers become more technologically savvy, security measures may be easier to enforce as we anticipate them to have the knowledge and a better understanding of how the hardware works. It remains an important consideration for the younger generations to remain vigilant when it comes to matters of data security. A decrease in concern could mean that data becomes more at risk than ever.
Call Nisyst today and see what we can do for you and your business to minimise security risks.
