2020 was anything but normal. The Covid-19 Pandemic created new challenges for businesses in every industry. Zoom became the new board meeting room. That dreaded 30-minute commute driving to the office turned into a 2-minute commute walking to your home office chair. This has become the new normal. In light of these developments, companies have been investing in digital transformation technologies to compensate working from home conditions to all employees. Companies’ biggest concerns with that transition, however, are with the protection and security of their online infrastructures. Their worry, cycles around the thought of proper implementation of cybersecurity. 

Many companies still do not provide cyber-safe remote working environments. There has been a spike in cyberattacks, this may be from SME companies instilling the bring-your-own-device. This means employees can use their personal devices to access corporate information. Working from home does not guarantee the same level of protection as an in-office environment, users are more exposed to cyberattacks. Not even the security of an MDM solution protects work-from-home employees from cyberattacks. Home WiFi networks are more vulnerable to attacks. 

Human error is another huge factor in cyberattacks. Even before the pandemic, humans were making errors left and right, unknowingly giving access to harmful people. Now with at-home working environments, human error has tremendously increased. It is easy for employees to be interrupted at their at-home office, especially if multiple people are living in the same home. These distractions make employees more reckless and careless. Now is the time for IT systems to adapt to these changes and decrease human error. 

Nearshore managed services (MS) companies can help your company with the effects the pandemic had on cybersecurity. Businesses are not just partnering with outsourcing companies just for a leg up in the cybersecurity industry; they are doing it to gain a strategic partner to help with technology and business decisions. From digital transformations to disaster planning; partnering with a nearshore MS company is a smart solution to save you a copious amount of time, money, and headaches.  

Digital Transformation

Due to the pandemic, there has been a shift in the cybersecurity industry due to digital transformation. All customers, especially first-time users, should be provided with a smooth and secure digital experience. Customers now demand more choices when it comes to interactions with companies. Cybersecurity teams can add value to any company, by expanding their efforts to protect the entire customer journey. Digital trends for new cybersecurity include:

• Seamless customer security experience. It is important to install advanced abilities to protect customer identity and access management. Many companies use a single customer identity across multiple digital channels and for verification authentication. This ability allows a customer to guide a transaction on the web and mobile with painless efforts. It is a good idea to develop a customer security outline that defines customer personas, priorities, and pain points. 
• At scale. Companies now make it a habit to test cybersecurity controls like log-in controls, bot mitigation, network security, firewalls, etc. Also, it’s a good practice to monitor these controls to identify if they can continue to perform at scale. It is important to notice whether there is sufficient redundancy in high-volume environments without the unfortunate impact on customer experience. 
• Design Privacy. It is a good idea to make sure your customers are aware and continuously updated on the security you will provide them. You can offer high-value customers free antivirus software and identity verification services. Customer data usage and consent should also be made aware to the customer. Design plans that will be built into your business model that will protect and recover from customer data breaches. 
• Advanced analytics. Merge security into fraud controls. It’s critical to think about improving authentication and stopping fraudulent transactions. Do this by transitioning important security data into a heuristic risk-model engine.

Disaster Planning

The faster you respond to an emergency the better. 2020 has taught us that every company must take disaster response seriously. Disaster planning can be challenging when creating a plan. By partnering with a nearshore MS company they can take away all challenges because they already have the resources and plans ready for the next disaster. If a data breach or ransomware incident occurs, your company should be prepared for a quick response time; nearshore companies have plans already in place saving you time and headaches.

Many nearshore companies utilize the industry-standard National Institute of Standards in Technology (NIST) disaster planning guide:

• Preparation
• Detection & Analysis
• Containment, Eradication, & Recovery
• Post-Incident Activity

Preparation

It’s very important to take time with the preparation step. First, start by establishing a team. If there was a breach in security, who will get the call first? Who will need to be informed? In an emergency, you must have the ability to answer these questions fast and accurately. Create a team that will know specifically who is in charge and who is responsible for what process, so you do not waste time on deciding who does what. 

Second, establish a protocol framework. Every business will utilize a sightly different framework and customize it how they want. Once that framework is created, keep it consistent for every response plan incident. Consistency in the protocol framework plan will make it much easier for your response team to follow during a real disaster. 

Detection & Analysis

To mitigate damages, you must figure out the initial problem. It’s important to find the cause, extent, and location of damages. Ask first, what is the problem? Find out the specific problem associated with the damage. For example, if someone sent a malicious email, and a team member accidentally opens the email. Next ask, what caused the problem? The team member clicked on the email and downloaded a phishing scam unknowingly opening it. Finally ask, where has the damage spread? These questions will help with identifying the direct damage to security. 

Containment, Eradication, & Recovery

During the containment stage, it’s important to identify if the damages have spread. If not, you must figure out how to prevent it from slipping through the cracks and going somewhere else. It’s very important to figure out what systems and data the affected computer had access to. 

The eradication stage asks; can you remove the damage and restore original data? This stage allows your team to figure out the most effective way to eliminate the problem. Every business is different, and this depends on the data that was directly affected. It’s a good idea to include multiple options for your team to make the right decision on how to proceed with the damages. 

The recovery stage is the most important to get your business back on track. Ask, where are the backups? Who has access to these? How do you fix the damages? It’s crucial to have administrator and privileged user credentials stored securely to safely access essential information. Also to keep them safe from cybercriminals. 

Post-Incident Activity

This final stage is important to ask what went wrong, how can this be prevented in the future, and most importantly how can you improve performance for next time. Find the weakness associated with your plan. Take those weaknesses, and create a better plan for next time, because there will always be a next time. Your team should take time to determine what they can do in the future to further reduce the chance of this happening again. Many companies will establish a security awareness training program for all their employees, to help prevent reckless damages. 

Cybersecurity is more crucial now than ever before because of the Pandemic. Businesses who want to stay ahead of the curve will invest in partnering with a nearshore MS company to help them protect against cyber attacks and security. Nearshore companies have the resources and capabilities to protect against such damages. It’s important to keep up with all the new digital transformation trends, and you should always provide a customer with a smooth and secure digital experience. Noone saw the 2020 pandemic coming; now we know that disaster planning is a must. It’s up to you to keep your business, your employees, and your customers safe. 

K2 Partnering Solutions Can Help

You shouldn’t have to wait for a breach or a global disaster to take a deep look at your IT department and your security plan for protecting your data. In fact, you need more than just generalist IT support or hiring a one-time security consultant. What you need is a team that specializes in disaster planning and digital transformation, staffed with technical experts and functional enterprise solutions consultants. An MS team can bring your security up to speed, as well as assist with any software development, customization, and data migration. Whatever your complex needs are, a provider such as K2 Partnering solutions has a customized plan for your business. 

Having been at the forefront of technology and talent for over 20 years, we have world-class solutions at our fingertips to help businesses to innovate and grow, without any latency in hiring or infrastructure upgrades. With a worldwide network of locations, we have a global reach, but local expertise to deliver first-class technology solutions and unparalleled industry knowledge to our clients. 

Contact us today to prepare for the future with one of our expert managed services teams. 

.