Protecting Digital Assets
We’re emerging from a pandemic that disrupted how companies do business—the obvious example being hybrid work. With more employees working remotely, the “surface area” cybercriminals can attack is larger, making companies more vulnerable. It’s more vital than ever that businesses ensure the security of their networks, their data, and their digital assets.
Wolfgang Lewis
Vice President, Comcast Business, Midwest Region
How have cybersecurity needs changed, and what actionable steps can companies take to keep their networks secure?
The pandemic completely changed and expanded the environment in which businesses had traditionally considered cybersecurity. A distributed workforce means distributed data, and businesses are scrambling to extend their pre-pandemic defenses to hybrid work locations. This shift, combined with an explosion in the number of devices connecting to the network, has caused a significant disruption to traditional cybersecurity planning.
Pre‑pandemic, most businesses needed service providers to support their brick-and-mortar locations with connectivity and services in those same buildings. Post‑pandemic, businesses need capacity and reliability in their network to support their employees and customers wherever they are. Service providers are doing everything possible to increase capacity so businesses can engage digitally with employees and customers, regardless of location.
Actionable steps that businesses can take to protect their systems and networks right now include people, process, and technology. First, businesses need to make data security a top priority in every strategic business discussion, from the top down and back up again. Include security considerations at the beginning of your planning phases. Don’t make it an afterthought. Security risks, gaps, implications, and practices need to be discussed at every level and actively managed as part of organizational strategy.
Secondly, businesses need to prioritize and evangelize their cybersecurity programs. Stakeholders need to simulate what they will do in the event of a breach. IT departments need to change the narrative from “If it happens” to “When it happens” to prepare the business to act swiftly in the event of a breach.
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In terms of technology, businesses need to prioritize their investments and defend the areas that have the greatest risk and impact to the organization. Focus on technology investments where your business can protect the most critical data and close any known gaps. Improving network security really requires an end‑to‑end approach but it all starts with the network. Invest in the architectures that reduce latency applications while also providing tools to control access and communication to sensitive data.
Secure network solutions allow businesses to segment traffic and limit access. Comcast Business has secure networking and cybersecurity solutions to help enterprises improve their security in this digital era. We offer managed SD‑WAN that enables advanced security functions, both locally on premises and in the cloud, allowing a remote workforce to securely access systems and applications from anywhere.
TCB Insights articles are sponsored content.
