5 “Musts” for a Social Distanced Workforce

Must have #1 – Secure Connectivity

• Don’t have people just unplugging their workstations and if it is going to work. Make sure everyone is connecting securely.
• There are security risks and things to consider when going to an all remote workforce
• Make sure that you have the right licensing and that you are connecting securely to the network
• Make sure you have the right set up
• Use your protection and still have that human firewall set up so you “yourself” can keep your companies information protected.

Must have #2 – “Backward Cloud Resiliency”

• When we think about the cloud, we think about infrastructure that someone else owns that sits out in the data center, that we pay a monthly fee for.
• This cloud strategy is a way to not pay for the expensive hardware or maintenance that goes into it.
• When we mobilize our workforce, we back into a cloud situation.
• The risk is single points of failure. (a failing piece of equipment)

Must have #3 – A Cloud Strategy

• Its important to have a strategy how to move things to the cloud and how important and critical they are to help your company operate.
• A hybrid cloud is referring to where only a portion of your business is operating from the cloud.
• At Entech, our business is almost a 100% cloud based, everything that we need to do from an operational standpoint is accessible to the cloud.
• This is something that is available to every business, if you have a strategy on how to get there.
• The cloud is up and coming, its only going to be a matter of time before business move directly to the cloud. First there is great financial incentive for them from a recurring revenue perspective rather than making a lump some purchase. Most importantly the reason why people move to cloud is to be secure.

Must have #4 – Managing Mobility

• There is a technological and a policy side to managing mobility, what risk are you willing to take as a business owner?
• As our workforce becomes more mobile, there is going to be risk of data leaking to mobile devices and other technologies.
• Make sure the devices that are connecting into your network are secure and don’t infect your data.
• As users are working, make sure employees are not keeping data on machines that are not being managed.
• This is another challenge, access to information is important. 2 factor authentication helps keep your network and business secure.  

Must have #5 – Data Leakage Blockades

• Most people focus on someone getting into your network or the leakage happening from outside of your network.
• Data leakage is where data is leaking on unsecured devices.
• Being able to detect it is something that can be fixed and detected easily if using the right tools.