Protecting Your Virtual Workspace

Following the COVID lockdowns and closures, virtual workspaces have become the norm. Today, there is no doubt that digital literacy skills are part and parcel of any job that entails onscreen and online work. And in order to properly and safely acquire, develop, and use these skills, you need to be able to protect your virtual workspace. The best way to do this is by ensuring that cybersecurity is a top concern across your entire organization.

Developing A Company-Wide Culture of Cybersecurity

The key to doing this is instilling policies that can prevent cyber attacks or mitigate their impact. Some examples of this include making password hygiene mandatory, having work-from-home equipment checked by IT experts, and only accessing sensitive databases when using secure devices. Whether through educational training programs or direct action policies, there are many ways to develop a progressive and secure digital culture.

For instance, remote workers should know exactly who to contact in the event of any cybersecurity issues. When it comes to training your remote teams about cybersecurity response, “engaging with their firm’s IT/cybersecurity experts is crucial,” explains Tsedal Neeley, professor of business administration at Harvard University. Today, modern business degrees from both traditional and online universities are being designed to respond to the growing demand for cybersecurity skills amid the digital transformation of business. And examining some of these courses can give you a better idea of how to develop a digitally secure company-wide culture.

Those trained by tech-inclined online schools in particular are more than prepared for working in the virtual workspace. And it’s not just because they’re used to remote working conditions. The online business administration degree at Maryville University for instance includes intensive training in securing management information systems, alongside traditional business skills. Furthermore, this bachelor’s program is also designed as a precursor to Maryville’s master’s degrees in cybersecurity. Designed to develop well-rounded and digitally literate specialists in the virtual age, both Maryville and Harvard University’s business degree programs reveal how cybersecurity is an overarching discipline that affects all aspects of business. Keep this in mind when you’re creating your own policies, training programs, and other initiatives aimed at developing a comprehensively secure virtual workplace culture.

 

Stay Abreast on Cybersecurity Trends and Patterns

The more updated you are about how hackers are getting into protected systems and how experts are fighting back, the better you can develop tactics and strategies to keep your virtual workplace protected. Set up Google Alerts for IT security-related news in and around your industry. Learn about how even outdated hacking tactics, like distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, are making a comeback – underscoring how hackers are likely to be successful when using the least expected methods. Follow news stories such as how Spotify is dealing with a recent massive database leak that led to thousands of fake plays and interactions on the popular platform.

Apart from being mandatory for doing business in increasingly modernizing industries, virtual workplaces are constantly evolving. And while this has created convenient and collaborative digital workspaces across small and large organizations, this evolution has also resulted in a rapidly shifting cybersecurity landscape. The more you can stay on top of the latest cybersecurity trends, the easier it will be to create a culture of cybersecurity – the more consistently you can protect your organization’s internal virtual network.

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