Andrew Sellers, QOMPLX CTO and co-founder, was featured in the Journal of Cyber Policy article, ‘2021 Cybersecurity Predictions for the Workplace.’
The very idea of the workplace was drastically changed in 2020, as working from home became the new norm. Attackers quickly found ways to exploit the security weaknesses this presented. Finding a way to secure the remote perimeter must be a top priority for IT departments in 2021.
Securing remote work continues to be a pressing concern for IT departments, Sellers says. “Companies are still struggling to set up adequate processes and security protocols to foster a seamless work from home experience. In 2021, there will be a continued focus on providing a greater security level to remote employees. As work is no longer tied to a physical space, IT departments need to rethink their organization’s security beyond the physical perimeter. We will see IT departments continue to implement new processes and procedures to support a work-from-anywhere environment. Unfortunately, attackers will similarly find increasingly sophisticated ways to exploit the circumstances of this new reality. With this new shift in the business process, commensurate investment in cybersecurity is necessary.”
2021 CYBERSECURITY PREDICTIONS FOR THE WORKPLACE
What does 2021 have in store for cybersecurity in the workplace? Industry experts weigh in:
Consequences from employees letting their guards down as work-from-home extends
“Many employees will continue to work remotely in 2021 to slow the spread of COVID-19 until a vaccine can be reliably distributed. Consequently, bad actors are no longer following these employees ‘through the door’ when looking to steal data. Instead, they will seek to take advantage of workers who have been remote since the start of the pandemic, as they may be more likely to be letting down their guard when it comes to following security protocols. This relaxation on security protocol — combined with threats that already exist in a rushed remote work environment — will result in data loss rates exceeding what we saw in 2020.” – James Carder, Chief Security Officer for LogRhythm
Securing remote work continues to be a pressing concern for IT departments
“Companies are still struggling to set up adequate processes and security protocols to foster a seamless work from home experience. In 2021, there will be a continued focus on providing a greater security level to remote employees. As work is no longer tied to a physical space, IT departments need to rethink their organization’s security beyond the physical perimeter. We will see IT departments continue to implement new processes and procedures to support a work-from-anywhere environment. Unfortunately, attackers will similarly find increasingly sophisticated ways to exploit the circumstances of this new reality. With this new shift in the business process, commensurate investment in cybersecurity is necessary.” – Andrew Sellers, Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder, QOMPLX
The traditional office as we know it will disappear
“The pandemic-specific concept captured in the phrase ‘work-from-home’ will be replaced by the permanent concept of ‘work-from-anywhere’ by leveraging collaboration platforms and cloud-based applications. Remote collaboration platforms will become the “new normal” and the traditional office as we’ve known it won’t come back soon.” – Devin Redmond CEO and Cofounder Theta Lake
New collaboration features will make security a headache
“Collaboration platforms will add new, dynamic features at a furious pace that will make it more difficult to monitor and configure security options. These platforms and APIs will be built to facilitate new activities, like sending and receiving payments, that will further increase the risky and regulated activities on those platforms – forcing companies to increase the security and compliance of their API and integration features.” – Devin Redmond CEO and Cofounder Theta Lake
Collaboration security will be a top priority for government
“Incumbent collaboration tools (Zoom, Teams, WebEx) are going to get dragged into conversations about privacy law and big tech, further pressuring them to stay on top of security and compliance capabilities. At least two regulatory agencies will make explicit statements about regulatory obligations to retain and supervise collaboration conversations. Additionally, collaboration tools will replace many call center interactions and force organizations on related compliance, privacy, and security risks.” – – Devin Redmond CEO and Cofounder Theta Lake
About The Author
Hugh Taylor is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). In addition to editing Journal of Cyber Policy, he writes about cybersecurity, compliance and enterprise technology for such clients as Microsoft, IBM, SAP, HPE, Oracle, Google and Advanced Micro Devices. Prior to launching his freelance writing career, he served in executive roles at Microsoft, IBM and several venture-backed technology startups.
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