Why Greenville Cybersecurity Protections are Vital for Remote & In-Person Work

The modern working world has changed dramatically over the past few years. And primarily, that’s been seen through the evolution of remote and hybrid work.

Even though more businesses are pushing people to return to the office, there remains a fervent and strong focus on maintaining remote work. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the average occupancy rate across 10 major cities in the United States has plateaued at around 50 percent. And according to a survey recently quoted in The New York Times, 14 percent of job seekers would take a pay cut in order to work remotely. 

It’s even to the point where local news stations like 7NEWS are offering guides on how to land remote jobs in South Carolina. The point is that it’s safe to say that remote or hybrid work is no longer a trend, but a fixture of the modern workplace. 

And while this approach to work has been a positive experience for many, it’s created a whole new set of challenges for IT support – specifically in the Greenville cybersecurity world. Given that workers have their own setups in different locations outside of the office, they are more susceptible to attacks

The challenge is not just big corporations, either. In 2021 alone, 60 percent of small to medium businesses said they were victimized by a cyberattack. Is your Greenville business equipped with the resources to handle these challenges? In all likelihood, the answer is no, unless you have extra help.

Interested in an on-the-go cybersecurity resource? Download our free report about the top 2023 cybersecurity challenges and their solutions!

 

Due to this rapid shift in work, busy IT managers and business leaders have faced countless challenges of doing more with less. Factors such as budgets, time management, and team sizes, are all symptoms of this change.

In this article, we’ll break down the pain points of remote cybersecurity support and reasons why outsourcing your cybersecurity is a valuable solution.

The Most Common Remote Team Challenges That Impact Your Greenville Cybersecurity Protection

How your organization’s IT is handled is a little different than it was several years ago. While the days of face-to-face support still exist, many managed cybersecurity providers help remote teams while being remote themselves. This is vital for businesses with remote or hybrid work, because no matter where you work security must be a top priority.

That’s easy to say, but in practice it proves to be fairly difficult, especially for teams without any IT expertise. As an established IT support provider in Greenville and Spartanburg, we sympathize and understand these challenges.

Challenge #1: Busy and Overloaded IT or Office Managers

For IT managers who work in the office or at home, the daily workload can be overwhelming. They must strike the tough balance between proactively managing IT infrastructure and reacting to unforeseen issues. That’s a lot of juggling of priorities – and juggling usually means something gets dropped.

Challenge #2: Meeting Leadership Expectations

Many IT managers or office managers in Greenville are under pressure from their leadership to deliver more with limited resources, even while working from home. Budget constraints, time limitations, small teams, or gaps in knowledge and execution ability can make meeting these expectations challenging.

Challenge #3: Complex Compliance Regulations

Laws are constantly evolving, and keeping up with the changes is a significant task. As a business leader, you understand the vital importance of compliance, but navigating this landscape of regulations while remote can be time consuming. That’s why cybersecurity compliance services can save you a world of headaches.

Challenge #4: Insufficient Staffing

The amount of staffing needed for proper cybersecurity support has grown significantly – and many businesses simply can’t afford to staff properly. This shortage of manpower, while in-person or remote, is the root issue for many problems – but it specifically prevents the ability to lower cybersecurity risks.

What Can Businesses Do to Avoid These Challenges?

In the remote and hybrid working world, it’s not a matter of if – but when – a cyber threat will come knocking on your door. 

Understanding that your organization needs Greenville IT support is only the first step to lowering cybersecurity risk. These common threats happen every day – and for unprepared businesses, they can be devastating.

Protect Your Vulnerable Data in Remote Work

The shift toward remote work means employees are accessing company data from various locations, oftentimes using personal devices or public Wi-Fi. This flexibility has advantages but also increases the vulnerability of your critical data to unauthorized access and cyberattacks. 

Unless remote access to your company’s data is secured and maintained, it’s a loophole that can be exploited. You can protect your data by:

  • Activating multi-factor authentication
  • Enable data backups & disaster recovery procedures
  • Implement EDR (Endpoint Detect and Response) or Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

Guard Against Phishing Scams and Social Engineering Attacks

Phishing scams are everywhere these days. Cybercriminals impersonate everything – current bosses, former bosses, the IRS, family members, and more. These devious tactics take advantage of human trust and ignorance of common tactics. If you want to learn more about phishing attacks, The New York Times has a helpful guide on spotting phishing attempts.      

                                                                    

One fundamental way to spot phishing scams from the New York Times – check the email address sender!

Nonetheless, one of the reasons they are so common is because they work. And in particular for remote or hybrid work environments, workers are more likely to fall for them due to the lack of face-to-face interactions or support. 

At Fusion, we ensure our clients are protected with firewalls, spam filters, and routine employee awareness training. These plans empower your staff with the knowledge and tools needed to detect and counteract threats.

Make Time to Stay Up to Date on the Latest Compliance & Legal Requirements 

Navigating compliance regulations isn’t easy. Laws are constantly evolving – and your business must keep up. Non-compliance is not an option, and failure to do so can result in significant fines and legal consequences. 

Our outsourced IT services can help ensure that your remote work strategy aligns with relevant regulations. Our proactive and consultative approach gets ahead of any issues that may arise in the future. 

We believe that compliance is more than a checkbox – it’s a commitment to safeguarding your customers’ trust and data. That’s why we take the time to sit down with you and walk you through the various technical jargon in various regulations, such as HIPPA.

These Greenville cybersecurity protections are vital for businesses, large or small. Whether your team commutes to the office or works at home, there must be a layered approach to your cybersecurity in order to stay protected.

Why Your Greenville Cybersecurity Needs Must Be Addressed: Answered

In the wake of the pandemic, the workplace has returned to a relatively new normal. Greenville businesses are adapting to the world of remote and hybrid work – but beware of ignoring the reality of cybersecurity challenges that come with this new normal.

At Fusion Managed IT, we don’t offer a one-size-fits-all managed cybersecurity service plan. Instead, we work with our clients directly, tailoring our services to what they specifically need. We create custom plans, allowing you to focus to ensure your business thrives.

After all, your business is your business – and safeguarding it is our business. Learn more about how we can fortify your cybersecurity in Greenville, South Carolina today!

The Top Cybersecurity Challenges and Solutions of 2023 downloadable report