Covid-19 and smart working: an issue for data security

The now infamous Covid-19 virus that has held China in check for months has unfortunately arrived in Italy and Europe. The chaotic situation, as we all know, has generated restrictions on the movement and aggregation of people, and of course companies have put precautionary measures in place. In situations such as these, smart working, more commonly known as teleworking, is a viable solution for both small and large companies, since it makes it possible to momentarily reduce the number of staff present in workplaces, without having to stop work or production as a result. In addition, being able to work remotely also makes it possible not to have to use public transportation and to avoid travel restrictions both in the regions most affected by the infection and in other countries where entry is momentarily made difficult. Thus, although telecommuting has always been approached as a thorny topic in Italy, this emergency has prompted companies and businesses to adopt it within days, perhaps taking advantage of inadequate supports. Sure, organizing a videoconference with clients and co-workers is simple: all you need is a computer, tablet or smartphone and a service like Skype, but when you need to access the corporate network for work, the situation becomes decidedly critical.

Red alert

The alarm has already been raised, and the danger that cyber criminals could exploit the situation with a series of attacks targeting remote access to corporate networks is real. The aim is to steal data or infect servers with ransomware and then demand a ransom. Enterprises will therefore face increasingly large and dangerous data breach risks, and the only solution to this situation is to make the corporate network less vulnerable not only to hacker attacks, but also from possible human error by staff who are confronted with working remotely for the first time. Those who are late in implementing smart working plans will have to put in some extra effort, but gearing up quickly is possible by turning to teams of specialists such as those at Hypergrid who can provide services to resolve the situation and accompany the company through this transition.

Quick solutions

The best way to access the corporate network from the outside, allowing employees and contractors to work seamlessly wherever they are, is to provide a “secure access channel” via a corporate VPN. This is a Virtual Private Network that connects a client, for example an external computer, to a remote server on a corporate LAN, encrypting all data exchanged and thus providing privacy and security. HyperVPN is a service that offers a VPN with two-factor authentication that can provide maximum security and ease of use. Two-factor authentication is the feature that makes this solution the most secure: to gain access, it is not enough to know the login credentials, you also need a One Time Password i.e., an OTP code that changes with each new login making the connection to the corporate network secure and hacker-proof. The access code can be sent via SMS to a certified number, but it is also possible to generate the code via an app installed on a smartphone, tablet or computer, or via a hardware token, a device capable of generating the code. Hypergrid can provide the customer’s preferred solution by providing a service compatible with any type of smartphone, tablet or computer. If HyperVPN is essential for smartworking, there are other services that can make the network even more secure from possible intrusions. HyperCut for example offers Firewalls that secure the company’s telematic activities by protecting against intrusions and dangers from transmitting and receiving data from the Internet. HyperCut is designed to integrate seamlessly with HyperVPN to add additional security. The service is based on hardware firewalls that are always up-to-date, and it is fully configurable to the needs of the company: it allows you to block and detect network traffic with the ability to create zones with layers of security for example for publishing online services.

For consultation and more information on HyperVPN and HyperCut services, contact us at: info@hypergrid.it