EXPERT OPINION
We must update our cybersecurity best practices to protect the new hybrid workplace
Ben Carr , Chief Information Security Officer , Qualys
The effects of COVID-19 have forced organisations and their CISOs into making some hard decisions , particularly as the transition to remote working has offered a new dimension to the way we work . Ben Carr , Chief Information Security
Officer , Qualys , explains why we must adopt security standards that work well alongside our new routines and the hybrid environment we are faced with .
ith vaccines being rolled out across
W the UAE , we ’ re all optimistic that a post-COVID future is on the horizon . But as we emerge from our cocoons , we are also faced with the question of what we do next .
The pandemic forced us to experiment at scale with technologies that were previously mere curios . Remote working has allowed entire economies to mitigate the rigours of the Coronavirus , and across the Middle East enterprises are discovering that operations can tick along quite efficiently under the new normal .
The UAE government has long made it clear it is in favour of a surge in remote working . The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has cited benefits such as reductions in transportation expenses , pollution and traffic congestion , as well as more job opportunities for those living in remote areas . Last March , in the very early days of the pandemic , Statista reported that more than a third of Gulf
When freed up to attend to these trickier scenarios , security professionals can better demonstrate their worth . companies ( 35 %) were open to remote working . Around half of these ( 18 %) were already working remotely and the other 17 % were either considering it or were starting soon . Necessity being the mother of invention , COVID accelerated this migration .
So , if remote working is here to stay , should we not be establishing new policies to cope with the hordes of bad actors we know are still out there ? You can be sure that they know the old ways are unfit for purpose ; and you can also be sure they know those ways are still in use .
Make a list
New best practices are required to ensure everyone can work wherever , whenever and however they need to . For a start , asset management should www . intelligentciso . com
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