Sundaram Lakshmanan, CTO of SASE Products, Lookout, Inc.
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In a cloud-centric world, the lines between work and life are blurring. In a moment, you can view company documents, and in the next, manage personal finances, from the same device. While this has made work easier, it has also created challenges for data security and IT teams.
Traditionally, data security solutions have focused on everyone using company-issued laptops and working within the office, where perimeter-based devices can monitor activity. all. But with the shift to hybrid work and cloud services, users can work from anywhere. Whether it’s company executives or their employees, more and more people are using private mobile devices and open and unsecured Wi-Fi networks as part of their hybrid work with dissatisfaction.
To truly power hybrid operations, while also protecting data, organizations need to understand this new way of working and adapt their security practices. Don’t grant permission-deny access, focus on data and surrounding events, including user behavior, device health, application needs and data sensitivity -file it wants to access. This change will not only increase the effectiveness of data protection in the hybrid work environment, but will also provide security for the ability to become a business entrepreneur.
Security that works everywhere
Historically, IT and security teams have been labeled as the “office that doesn’t exist.” Whether it’s the location, the type of equipment or the application they can use, employees are asked to work in a certain way. Now that hybrid work has become permanent, it is no longer possible to ask employees to adhere to these strict policies. Employees are getting used to working from anywhere and using their own devices, but that’s not the end of the business problem. This flexibility has become expected and standard in the modern workplace.
In the past, data security was maintained by having separate devices. Many people had computers or cell phones and personal devices. Now, it all happens on the same device, which means IT departments have to change the way they protect corporate data. To increase the effectiveness of your security operations while also enabling business efficiency, focus on data. To get there, you need a solution that extends to the different places where your business-critical data resides, whether it’s SaaS applications, personal applications, cloud storage or personal devices.
Transform security into a business
Instead of being an “empty office”, IT security should become a business operator. IT departments can no longer lock down data or control how employees access the data they need. This change may seem like a lack of control at first, but it looks for other ways to provide security, which can also provide work and productivity.
This is where the security matching approach comes into play. Organizations should have access to a common policy engine with the ability to protect data within the same security platform. This includes data loss prevention to identify and enforce data policies, user behavior analysis and digital rights monitoring to encrypt data so that those Only authorized and verified users are allowed to access.
Digital information now moves without limits or boundaries. Data is the new currency in life, and a data breach can affect one business and one person the next. Productivity now depends on being able to work anytime, anywhere and on any device. IT security must follow suit, moving as seamlessly across borders as employees and executives do. No matter the location, device or type of data, security should be there.
Although the lines between work and life, as well as home and office, have disappeared, order does not have to be lost. From interns to executives, employees use the devices and networks that work best for them. IT security must accommodate this flexibility. With a focus on data security, organizations can build a data security strategy that is highly effective and does not sacrifice productivity.
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