Every modern company has one thing in common – they can all be wiped out by one cybersecurity incident. Whether it’s a devastating ransomware attack or a major customer data leak, no company can realistically hope to thrive in the 21st century without robust security.
Traditionally, a defensive perimeter could be placed around the office with corporate firewalls, strict device usage policies, and local IT support doing most of the hard work to protect both the company and each employee. This arrangement was based on the fact that most employees worked in a central location, using computers and accessories that rarely left the office. This approach to cyber security is quickly becoming archaic, mainly due to two major changes that have taken place in the last few years.
The first is the mass transition to remote work. Far from being a temporary, makeshift solution to keep businesses going during the pandemic, the remote work experiment has created a new working paradigm where the employee has much more control over how and where they work. As a result, most companies’ footprints have dispersed, and many employees now operate outside the corporate firewall, whether at home, in a coffee shop, or on public transportation. Of course, some companies would be able to implement specific laptops for employees to maintain a unified cybersecurity strategy, but many others would do so haphazardly, using any available kit or relying on a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy. to patch the gaps.
It would simply be a logistical problem if not for the second major change of the last few years – the evolution of cybercrime. Hackers are constantly looking for new ways to exploit their victims, and as companies begin to learn one tactic, others emerge. Whether this is due to the emergence of new approaches such as ransomware or the repetition of tried and tested techniques such as phishing, cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and easier to carry out.
Separately, these two solutions would be a challenge for any company, but together they can create a cybersecurity nightmare – one that requires a new approach and new hardware.
Reducing over-reliance on software
People remain the biggest challenge for any company developing a cyber security strategy.
According Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2022approximately 82% of system breaches involved the use of human factors, usually by getting them to perform an action that puts the company at risk.
Employees don’t even have to succumb to phishing attacks to expose their business to hackers. Simply using a work device for personal use, whether for online shopping or social media use, can put your business data at risk. Of course, it’s possible to curb this kind of behavior with work rules, but it’s a trend that’s somewhat unavoidable.
Companies are well aware of this “human” problem, and in the sudden rush to secure employees scattered outside the corporate firewall, many have begun layering layers of security software on employee devices. While this may have provided a quick and easy way to improve security overall, it is a brute-force approach that results in over-reliance on software, potentially putting companies at further risk.
Not only is software inherently vulnerable to skilled hackers or those who exploit bugs or vulnerabilities, the multiple layers can also be a significant cause of employee frustration. Recent actually research from the Harvard Business Review found that during a 10-day study, 67% of employees admitted to violating one or more corporate cybersecurity policies precisely because these layers of software prevented them from doing their jobs.
There is an alternative for modern companies. New technological innovations have made it much easier for companies to apply additional security measures at the hardware layer, helping them to reduce dependency on software and reducing the workload.
Intel vPro®, Intel Evo® Design™ based PCs from HP are built from the ground up with security in mind, offering hardware-based protection against threats that legacy designs simply never considered. One such security feature is hardware virtualization, which allows an employee’s machine to run multiple virtualized environments for different applications while keeping them isolated from each other and any threats they might encounter such as malware or credential theft.
For example, using a system such as the HP Elite Dragonfly G3 with Intel vPro technology, it is possible to run Microsoft or SAP business applications on one virtual machine on a laptop and a different web browser or other personal applications on another. This is something that would be difficult to achieve with software alone – advanced hardware is needed to provide these similarly advanced security features.
Importantly, these defenses work without employee involvement and can allow your business to shed unnecessary layers of security, especially since robust security technology such as biometrics can be integrated into the employee’s device and used in conjunction with virtualization. These robust security features work effortlessly for the user, ensuring high performance so they can focus on their roles without interruption inside or outside the corporate firewall.
The changing nature of security
Modern companies are not only looking for ways to meet today’s security challenges, but also protect their systems from emerging threats. This hardware-level approach to security is one of the most effective ways an organization can achieve this.
Hackers don’t just steal data anymore. They are now deploying sophisticated attacks against operating systems, system memory, and even the software responsible for powering the hardware known as firmware, signaling a dramatic shift towards targets that are beyond the reach of most cybersecurity software. This is especially problematic given that most employees now operate outside the corporate firewall and may even be beyond the reach of IT support.
Intel® has worked with partners such as HP to create the next generation of laptops and desktops that are resilient to emerging threats. Intel vPro, Intel Evo Design-based laptops come with a range of security features that protect against system-level attacks by preventing third-party tampering, preventing malware from hijacking system resources, and enabling IT teams to remotely manage employee machines, ensuring systems stay up-to-date regardless of where employees work.
Transporting and using so many devices in different places also creates an inevitable risk of loss or theft. Intel and HP have been working to address this issue with a tool known as Total Memory Encryption, which encrypts all memory by default and prevents criminals from accessing data on stolen devices, even if the components are separate from the machine itself. With such computers, loss and theft remain inconvenient rather than potentially catastrophic to the entire company.
These types of defensive capabilities are becoming critical for companies that want to stay safe in today’s world. By investing in advanced PCs such as HP with Intel vPro, An Intel Evo Design, your business can maintain the sense of flexibility and freedom offered by hybrid work while benefiting from cybersecurity traditionally found only in private, isolated environments. By using these devices, you can counter today’s cyber threats while putting your business in the best position to face tomorrow.
Intel technologies may require hardware, software, or service activation. No product or component can be completely safe. Your costs and results may vary.
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