The pandemic has changed businesses for good, and there is much more that lies ahead in the new normal. The WFH model that started as an emergency quick-fix is going to be around for the foreseeable future. With the transition, cybersecurity becomes a growing concern for companies. The risks grow as people operate from home, and hackers find new ways to compromise corporate networks and systems.

Adapting to the situation does not remain a choice because security is something that no business can afford to overlook. Whether you operate a small business or run a large enterprise, you will have to develop a new cybersecurity plan for the new normal. Here are some insights about driving the initiative and securing your business for the long haul.

Be aware of the growing risks.

Awareness is half the work done when it comes to covering your business with a robust cybersecurity strategy. There has been a significant increase in cyberattacks since the pandemic started, and things will get even more challenging in the future. If you plan to have a majority of your people working from home for the long term, you need to be extra conscious about remote work risks.

Employees accessing business data, applications, and networks remotely are likely to expose them unknowingly or intentionally. IT teams need to document potential threats and risks in the first place and develop effective solutions to resolve each of them. Proper awareness and planning can go a long way in preventing incidents and addressing them quickly if they do happen.

Although being aware of the risks is vital, you cannot overemphasize the need to be forewarned. Regular stress testing is an excellent idea for organizations that want to go the extra mile with incident prevention. As businesses scale up the existing network and endpoint security, it makes sense to test the new implementation and the current systems from time to time.

Stress testing puts the IT teams in a good position to understand the possibilities of breaches and issues and also identify the potential causes. Once you know where and how things can go wrong, it becomes easy to prevent them even before they happen. Create a schedule for period stress-testing, assign responsibilities, and ensure that your IT team adheres religiously to this schedule.

Pay attention to personal devices.

While BYOD was already a norm for most businesses before the pandemic, the use of personal devices for businesses would increase all the more in the new normal. The initial remote deployment was hurried, and many employees had to work on personal devices that were not under the corporate security umbrella or supervised by the device management programs.

But things are fairly settled now, and companies have a better idea about the personal devices that will be a part of the corporate ecosystem for the long haul. It is the right time to reassess your mobile device management policies and realign them according to the current situation. Whether it is about using a VPN, controlling access to specific files and applications, or installing anti-virus programs on personal devices, do what you need to do.

Take a proactive approach to cybersecurity.

When it comes to cybersecurity, many organizations learned the hard way during the pandemic. Businesses that weren’t serious enough about security struggled to keep the operations up and running amid the hacking attacks and network breaches. Cybersecurity will continue to be critical to business continuity, even in the future, as you cannot get back on track anytime soon.

A proactive approach to cybersecurity is the only way organizations can survive and thrive in the new normal. The seasoned Helpteq IT technicians recommend collaboration with expert consultants who can help you with continuous monitoring, risk assessment, and timely resolution. The best approach would be to the necessary technologies on time and make sure that your cybersecurity professionals can handle any problems that come your way.

Prepare for remote incident response.

Since remote working is the biggest reality at this point, your business has to be ready with a proper remote incident response strategy. IT and cybersecurity teams must always be on their toes to extend support to a wide range of users coming up with diverse issues across many devices and locations. Things can be challenging when resolving security issues remotely because a significant proportion of users may not have the technical skills to handle things confidently.

Right now, organizations need to build the capability for remote intervention. For example, the IT team must be empowered with remote forensics to identify potential threats and breaches in WFH settings. Being ready from the compliance and data privacy standpoints is equally vital. It may require a massive shift in technology and corporate culture at a radical pace, but you will need to do it to stay ahead.

Employee training is a must.

While the deployment of apt security technologies and a strong IT team has your business covered to a significant extent, you cannot pay less attention to employee training. Cybersecurity education for everyone should be a norm for businesses in the post-pandemic era so that your organization is ready for all types of risks that come with unforeseen situations like this one.

It is time to implement cybersecurity training programs for all employees to generate awareness about the best practices related to security in both in-office and remote work settings. Consider advanced programs for the IT team to get a step ahead with the support they offer. Regular refresher programs for the team would effectively keep them abreast of the current needs to address risks and threats.

As the current security landscape evolves, realigning your cybersecurity plan is something you should do sooner rather than later. A timely move can save the organization from major attacks and hassles. It is time to have a look at your current strategy and fix the gaps well in time.