Guide
Three security challenges of remote working - and how to overcome them.
Learn how to mitigate remote working security risks.
More companies than ever now operate with a distributed workforce. It's been a boon for most. But remote working security challenges are never far away. So buckle up: you're about to navigate three of the most urgent — with a bit of help from Cubeless.
Why a remote workforce is your strength and your weakness.
Running your company was never straightforward. But as a data-centric business, these are tricky times.
On one hand, winning customers, launching services and setting new standards is easier than ever. And it’s all shaped by a remote workforce that energizes productivity, makes your business more flexible, and grants you a wider talent pool.
There’s also a less palatable side: a remote workforce can choke your entire operation.
Let’s be honest — the security challenges of remote working can frustrate even the best of us. Your team collects and processes a tsunami of important data, every iota of which represents a potential banana skin.
Remote working may promise huge benefits. But most strategies deliver the opposite. And in the midst of a battle for the best remote talent, that’s a problem.
We’ve spoken to hundreds of businesses to figure out what’s blocking a better secure remote working experience. It resulted in this guide.
If your business manages company data with a distributed workforce, the below remote work security challenges should sound familiar. Here’s how to tackle them.
Challenge 1
Clunky, non-native tools.
Challenge 2
The data-management burden.
Challenge 3
Remote workers love to hate their security protocols.
Challenge 1
Clunky, non-native tools.
Associated risks: Unnecessary expenses, cumbersome solutions, a swamped IT team
No matter how clued in you are from a tech perspective, wading through different solutions leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. It’s hard to separate bonafide USPs from generic claims. A crowded market of competing acronyms only muddies the water. VPNs? DaaS? SD-WAN?
You’ll find plenty of tools that solve specific bits of the secure work jigsaw. And yes, someone can weave them together like a knockoff Goldberg machine, but doing so demands the time and patience of a saint.
There’s also an unwelcome pricing element. Most solutions weren’t made for your needs — and that includes budget considerations. You can’t afford to not have something in place. But shelling out for multiple subscriptions (for a Franken-solution) won’t win you any prizes, either.
We didn’t even mention upkeep. If you have an army of IT personnel, dedicated to round-the-clock remote security tool updates and patches, well — congratulations. If you don’t (i.e. like everybody else), why spread resources thinner than they already are?
Solution
Go Cubeless: Simple. Rapid. Comprehensive.
Our app gets you up and running in minutes. Even better, it requires almost no maintenance. Seriously. All that’s needed from your end is one simple download…and your workers are secured and ready to go. It’s an inexpensive, remote workspace architected from the ground up for companies like yours — if you can use a browser, you can use Cubeless.
Seeing is believing
Challenge 2
The data-management burden.
Associated risks: Data breaches, compliance mishaps, reputation damage
Most remote work environments came about more through accident than design. The security element is no different. If you’re anything like most other companies, you scrambled to make your data and apps compliant for workers you may not have even met in person.
The indiscriminate use of multiple devices (whether BYOD or company provided) and work/life needs further complicates things. When your workforce uses the same device to access customer databases as they do to play games or trade crypto, the data management burden escalates.
Of course, not all data shares the same level of sensitivity. But whether your team deals in game-changing patents or last week’s quarterly meeting notes, the end goal remains the same: none of that data should fall outside its agreed remit. Just because it’s not ‘sensitive’ data (i.e publicly identifiable) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect it.
Complying with internal rules and standards for securing important information can be tricky in its own right. The kaleidoscopic nature of external regulations is another challenge entirely. Even if it’s accidental, violating the likes of GDPR can result in stinging fines and stained reputations.
As for data breaches, the numbers speak for themselves. Over 30 million of them occurred in the last 12 months. And if you have a high percentage of remote workers [anything above 81%], the average cost of an attack works out at $5.5 million.
Solution
Go Cubeless: Secured workers. Secured data. Secured peace of mind.
With Cubeless, we don’t just secure remote work, we secure your peace of mind. Our app’s intrusion protection system constantly updates itself based on your requirements. The end result is cast-iron confidence. You can relax knowing the data, your workers and the company stays on the right side of the tracks — and remains that way even as rules and frameworks evolve. And even better, it layers seamlessly over whatever’s being used on their personal device.
Ready to relax?
Challenge 3
Remote workers love to hate their security protocols.
Associated risks: Dampened productivity, disgruntled employees, accidental leaks
We mentioned how the most remote security tools on the market weren’t designed for you in mind. We said they cost too much and need vast IT expertise. Worst of all, they suck for end users.
If that feels counter-intuitive, it’s because it is. Clunky, intrusive, and hard-to-manage technology blocks exactly what your workforce deserves: to be free of annoying rules that frustrate productivity.
Source: IBM Cost Of A Data Breach Report: 2022
Typically, your tool’s sub-par UX kicks in right from the get-go. New hires increasingly start their role remotely, using their own devices. That means they’re accessing sensitive data, apps and resources from multiple sources. Securing them from Day One is a priority. But it should be effortless. Remote hurdles can end up squandering your greatest resource — your people.
Most solutions deliver poor onboarding experiences. That manifests badly: new team members don’t wait for things to improve — and your employee churn rate can skyrocket as a result. The alternative isn’t cool either: offboarding can leave either party’s data going where it shouldn’t.
Sandwiched between on- and offboarding experiences is the every-day rigmarole. Remote workers who don't rage quit as a result end up working around your security tools, risking all kinds of headaches in the process. Overzealous security prompts and procedures that clash with personal use drive workers crazy. You can’t expect them not to switch between work and life…
...why make the process so infuriating?
Solution
Go Cubeless: A remote-native experience (i.e., happier, more productive workers).
Organizations are choosing Cubeless for a deliberate shift in perspective. Long framed purely as a security challenge, today’s remote work represents an opportunity for forward-thinkers.
It's time to ditch the singular approach to security. Choose a user-friendly version instead. Locking out hackers is one thing, but if that means Marie-from-Sales gets locked out too, you’ve (obviously) got a problem. Cubeless isolates its workspace from the computer. You determine each user’s authentication right out of the gate. And they get to work in an environment with clear and easy boundaries:
- Streamlined productivity: Your workers get a toolset optimized for their day-to-day that combines security and compliance with simplicity and ease of use.
- Effortless compliance: Users can’t cross-populate sensitive data between workspace and personal space (no copy/paste, screenshots or download-to-device actions).
- Designed for end users: Switching between professional and private browser takes just one click — so moving between, say, personal emails to secure databases happens without the overbearing security requirements.
- Tailored to your needs: Once you’ve downloaded the Cubeless app, your company’s delegated admin can share tools you need within the Cubeless environment.
- Endless peace of mind: Once your company data’s secured it stays secured.
Ready to end remote work security challenges?
Let’s talk.
All facets of secure remote work, from regulations and threats through to the technology you use — even workforce expectations — continue to evolve. You can’t do much about that, but you can simplify how your company reacts.
Cubeless marks a turning point for securing remote working. You no longer have to sacrifice productivity in exchange for protection. You can give teams a better experience: more control and more agility.
If your people can use a browser, they can use Cubeless. Find out why organizations like yours are already making the switch: book a free demo here.
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