What is the hybrid working model?

Good question. We really liked this definition ‘a workplace that is a moveable feast for normal and power users alike’ – thanks to the folks at eweek.com. 

Many of the global population have had a taste of freedom to work from anywhere on any device. Hybrid working is also based on the idea that peoples’ physical presence in the office isn’t always necessary for work to be carried out. It’s hard to argue with this, and no doubt your organisation is in the throes of designating certain days for in-office work, and other days for remote work that requires individual focus. Hybrid working models maintain social distancing on more individual terms, without disrupting connections. 

So how should organisations weigh up this enhanced desire for work-life balance with their fundamental necessity to responsibly protect information assets? It wouldn’t be unfounded to predict that the gap will widen, in the short term at least. Let’s reflect on whether the risk that the gap between what the business wants to do, and security enabling it to happen, is really one for concern. 

According to reports, 76% of companies adopted cloud services faster than they had planned in the last 12 months . Three quarters of all organisations were forced to respond to the pandemic with sudden acceleration of digital transformation. 

“Over the last year this has had to have been thought about very rapidly, and healthcare trusts have been forced to look at MDM (mobile device management) solutions, and of course the cyber security elements associated with that.”
Dr Sandeep Bansal, CEO & Founder of Medic Bleep, extract from SC Insights|Dispersed by design

And with the hybrid workforce comes added intricacy for security and IT operations. In response to newfound demand for so much flexibility, it’s now someone’s job to ensure those devices are safe, reliable and efficient. In many scenarios, workers are moving between secure office environments with enterprise network monitoring, firewalls, event and data analytics, to vulnerable home networks that might have rogue devices, weak passwords or outdated equipment. And unlike the pandemic, there’s no end to this in sight. Opportunities for breach have simply multiplied.

For organisations whose main interest is migrating to the cloud, the starting point is to understand what represents their most valuable information. Assigning information owners is the first step towards a safe and simple cloud migration. 

Partitioning off key bits of data and information is critical to this process. Most importantly, have patience; though the process isn’t quick, it’s an investment that pays off in terms of protecting your customer, company and colleague data, as well as your reputation. 

Setting up your virtual environment for success has topped the agenda for a number of months now. People are much more effective if they are comfortable in their workspace, wherever that happens to be. Make sure you match your investment in online workspaces with providing both space and a place where your colleagues will feel supported as we ride the next wave of post-pandemic change. 

From a cyber security perspective, you’ve got a whole different set of issues, from kids or housemates to no dedicated workspace at home, to living in an area with poor WiFi. Each group of individuals have very specific needs that must be addressed in order to mitigate risk.

Capitalise on existing cyber security policies to ensure remote and hybrid working can be sustained long-term without increasing cyber risk. Now is the time to leverage Board-level appetite to design safe practices so that looking after the health of the business becomes easier. Depending on the type and size of the company, hybrid working can just be business as usual. However for some, it will be transformational.