Cyber Hiring Trends in 2024: The impact of flexible working models on cyber security
As we plough on through 2024, hiring trends are continuing to change and evolve at a dizzying speed. We speak with hiring managers in the cyber sector every day, and we have summarised some of the key considerations for hiring in this space below for you.
Security Risks & Protocols
Flexible working is wonderful for allowing teams to pick up and chip in wherever they may be, but from a dodgy network in a coffee shop to a set of eyes on the screen over the shoulder, there’s far greater risk of security slips outside of the office. The solution is to establish clear protocols, rules and guidelines, and ensure the tech provides support too, in the form of VPNs, multi-factor authentication and encryption.
Remote Access Infrastructure
Having laptops and work IP on the move can be very enabling, but it can also create opportunity for issues. A wayward laptop without a password, weak passwords, important documents baked into a single inaccessible machine. We’ve all seen the politicians snapped on the train with confidential documents clearly on show, and the electronic equivalent is an ever-present risk in the modern day. We suggest machines with biometric access enabled; strengthened by the use of remote terminal-servers, VPNs and similar tech to keep your important data locked in a single location.
Monitoring and Incident Response
The larger an organisation grows, the wider its digital footprint, and capacity for risk. We suggest considering the use of a robust monitoring and incident response mechanism to detect and respond to cybersecurity incidents in real-time. You might also consider security information and event management (SIEM) systems, intrusion detection / prevention systems (IDS / IPS) and security analytics tools to monitor remote access activity and identify potential security breaches.
Employee Training and Awareness
A regular schedule of employee training is likely to go some distance to entrenching those positive habits around the importance of personal ownership around cybersecurity. A huge number of issues are caused by user error, weak passwords, clumsy laptop losses etc. We can all see how these things might happen, but with robust training, it is likely that these are habits we can rule out.
By addressing these areas of consideration, organisations can make great leaps in managing the risk profile that comes about through the combination of flexible working and cyber security concerns.