How are you managing your digital estate? Ask yourself truthfully – when it comes to protecting your digital assets, are you putting as much emphasis on protecting external devices as you are on protecting your internal network?
Many businesses focus on protecting their core network. They install a firewall, invest in advanced protection and carry out regular penetration testing. They do all they can to safeguard the internal layer. But often organisations forget that this is only one point of entry. If workers are accessing company data from home, across multiple devices, there are many more entry points to consider. If you are not giving due care and attention to all devices, you are leaving yourself open.
The pandemic has completely transformed the modern workplace. By mid 2020, the Republic of Ireland had the fourth-highest rate of people working from home of all the EU states. This is according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and data collected by labour market think tank, Eurofound. This move to remote working (or ‘hybrid working’ where staff work from both home and office) was inevitable.
However, no one could have predicted the scale at which remote working has been adopted. Now that staff have discovered the benefits of remote working, they expect a certain level of flexibility. At the height of the pandemic, we shared our findings from ActionPoint’s ‘Covid-19 Remote Working Report’. In it, 86% of the workers stated that they wanted to stay remote working in some capacity. 68% wanted to work from home at least two days per work. There is no getting around it – the hybrid workplace is here to stay. Businesses need to adapt.
Unified Endpoint Management – A Modern Approach to IT Security
The modern, hybrid workplace demands a new approach to device management. The modern worker accesses company data across multiple devices and networks. They use SaaS software applications that must be kept up to date. The devices they use are both company-owned and personally owned. Remote workers’ device security is often questionable to say the least.
All organisations have a duty to protect and secure corporate data. A ‘set it and forget it’ approach is no longer enough. Software needs to be kept up to date. Windows, Android and iOS devices must meet compliance obligations. But a balance must be stuck. Ensuring security across security must be balanced with allowing your team to carry out their work smoothly. The way in which you protect your corporate network shouldn’t impede employee effectiveness.
ActionPoint’s Unified Endpoint Management solution allows companies to manage data, licences, applications, users, and security of all devices remotely and from a single platform. With UEM, all devices are controlled under a single pane of glass. Unified Endpoint Management is a unification of a range of different endpoint management solutions. This includes Windows 10 updates and compliance, always-on VPN, Windows Hello for Business, autopilot management, device lifecycle management, and mobile device management.
ActionPoint’s Unified Endpoint Management solution ensures that organisations are protecting all devices to the same standard. Unlike traditional approaches, it is designed to scale. It also addresses key security challenges that organisations face in the modern hybrid workplace:
- Endpoint security not keeping pace with modern work practices and standards.
- The constant security risk of having unmanaged devices accessing corporate systems without any controls.
- The vulnerabilities that come with having multiple devices outside the core network.
- The cumbersome VPN process that comes with accessing the domain controller. This includes policy updates, software updates and new passwords.
If your organisation is going to commit to remote working or hybrid working polices long term, a change of approach is required. When it comes to protecting your devices, ActionPoint’s Unified Endpoint Management solution holds the key. Check out this blog to learn more about the current state of play and why a modern multi-device, multi-location needs to take a unified approach to endpoint protection.
If you would like to speak to our team, contact us today and request a callback.
