The security concerns highlighted during the coronavirus pandemic are not going away: Employees continue to work remotely, whether full-time or sometimes, and they need a way to securely access critical data, apps and productivity tools. In the words of an IDC info brief titled “Enabling the Future of Work with EPM, Identity and Access Controls,” the days of workers tied to an office desk are over.
Whether your employees are working on the go or from their home office, the challenge for organizations is balancing user experience, productivity and security, according to a joint survey conducted by IDC and LastPass. And companies of all sizes face these issues; Verizon’s Data Breach Investigation Report 2021 found that breach patterns for organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees were the same as for large organizations, with about one in four confirming a data disclosure. However, large organizations often discover breaches more quickly than smaller organizations. According to Verizon’s report, the data most frequently compromised is credentials. It also discovered that 57 percent of threat actors are external and 44 percent are internal (some cases have both).
Bad actors are out there, and any company can be a target. At the same time, employees need the tools to do their jobs without jumping through cumbersome cybersecurity hoops. VMware’s Workspace ONE addresses the key issues organizations face: user experience, productivity and security.
User experience
Using a single sign on (SSO) eases the burden on employees to create and remember many complicated passwords — just one will allow them to access all files and programs they need. IDC’s survey found the biggest challenge facing organizations in terms of identity and access was that employees struggle with too many passwords. In this case, employees may try to ensure they don’t get locked out of programs they need to do their work by reusing the same password over and over or choosing simple and easy-to-crack passwords. Workspace ONE solves this problem by requiring only one password for them to remember.
Productivity
With virtual desktops and apps accessible on the cloud from anywhere, employees can securely tap into everything they need to work effectively, without struggling with a VPN or compromising company data by logging in on an unsecured WiFi network. Horizon VDI integrates with Workspace ONE to offer access to both Windows-based and non-Windows-based applications on any device.
Security
Unified endpoint management (UEM) allows organizations to consolidate management of devices and access for all employees. IDC’s survey discovered that a security struggle for companies was users retaining system access after leaving the company. Workspace ONE allows IT teams to quickly revoke access, without waiting to gain control of an employee’s device. In addition, Zero Trust security ensures users only have access to the apps they need to do their jobs, reducing the possibility of security breaches — internal or external.
To learn more about easing friction for employees while hardening security with VMware’s Workspace ONE, contact the experts at Tech Orchard. We’ll help you find, deploy and manage the best digital solutions for your organization.
