As most know, hybrid work has become a permanent fixture for many businesses. In fact, according to recent research from Gallup, as many as 55% of workers in the US have hybrid work arrangements. This flexibility presents the best of both worlds — employees can enjoy the flexibility of occasional remote work while employers can harness in-person collaboration.
However, this setup also expands the security perimeter — valuable data can reside in multiple locations and pass through varied networks. Fear not, there is a way to secure networks for hybrid, remote, and on-site workers that will not create slower speeds nor negatively impact productivity.
This guide will help you understand hybrid work security, explore the risks you face, and outline solutions like OpenVPN to protect sensitive information. Let’s dive in.
Hybrid work is a model where employees operate partly in a central office and partly in remote locations, either at home, in a co-working space, or on the road. While traditionally used for sales positions, more workers are enjoying the work-life balance that hybrid work agreements can provide.
Some organizations set formal schedules (e.g., three days in the office, two from home), while others let individuals choose their location. Regardless of the approach, the goal is to maintain productivity and collaboration without sacrificing control over network assets and data.
Because teams are often spread across different networks and time zones, hybrid work security becomes crucial. Unfortunately, if you have legacy, perimeter-based security software, your company may be at an increased risk from hybrid and remote work. Firewalls and routine office-based controls are no longer enough to protect business systems independently. IT teams must also find ways to provide secure access to internal systems and maintain visibility into user activities, regardless of location.
Furthermore, some employees continue to sidestep certain safeguards, as discussed in OpenVPN’s article on employees skipping network security. This phenomenon underscores the importance of structured policies and comprehensive tools to help close the gaps.
To address these challenges, companies must rely on additional tools such as VPNs, endpoint security solutions, and cloud-based threat detection to fill in the gap left by traditional perimeter-based security solutions for hybrid workers.
Bringing remote and in-office teams under one security umbrella makes it challenging to safeguard data — but it can be done. First, teams must face the reality is that sensitive information can flow through personal devices, home routers, and third-party applications. Without strong hybrid work security measures, cybercriminals can exploit the situation by targeting endpoints outside the traditional secure perimeter.
Securing these dispersed environments does more than protect data: it ensures business continuity, fosters customer trust, and shields teams from potentially devastating legal and financial consequences.
Securing your hybrid workforce isn’t just about installing antivirus software or running periodic scans — organizations need a systematic approach that factors in network segmentation, centralized policy enforcement, and ongoing employee education.
Recommended reading: Why Secure Remote Access is a Win for Everyone.
Hybrid models are no stranger to the same types of attacks that in-person teams face. For example, hybrid workforces face various online attacks, ranging from phishing and social engineering to sophisticated malware and ransomware.
Phishing remains a leading concern, as attackers tailor their messages to look like legitimate emails from HR representatives, colleagues, or service providers. After all, with a hybrid or remote employee it may be more difficult for them to simply turn around and ask a coworker if they recognized the sender, or better yet, walk to the supposed senders’ desk. Once employees fall for such schemes, businesses can experience large-scale breaches compromising customer records or intellectual property.
Learn more with our Phishing Awareness Training: A Guide for IT Managers.
However, employees connecting from coffee shops or home networks may inadvertently expose usernames, passwords, and sensitive corporate data through weak network security, essentially sending sensitive data through the wide open web.
With hybrid setups, employees often access corporate resources using personal laptops, mobile devices, or shared home computers. This variety of endpoints can be challenging to oversee, creating entry points for attackers. A device lacking proper patches, encryption, or up-to-date firewalls is a magnet for malicious actors.
Device theft also poses a risk. If a personal device is physically stolen and not protected by strong authentication methods, unauthorized users could gain direct access to critical systems or data.
A hybrid environment can complicate compliance if your organization is subject to HIPAA, PCI DSS, or GDPR. Data that was once confined within a secure office may now be accessed over multiple networks.
Tracking and auditing user activity becomes more intricate, and mistakes in network configurations or permissions can lead to violations. At the same time, blocking malicious websites can become more difficult.
Insider risks involve employees or contractors intentionally or accidentally misusing their access privileges. Monitoring potential insider threats in a hybrid arrangement is challenging, because people are geographically scattered.
An individual could, for instance, share a sensitive file from a home network, or a malicious employee might exploit weak access control measures to steal confidential data.
Learn more about The Bad Actors Within Your Business and prevention methods.
Although it would seem that all hope is lost when it comes to securing your hybrid teams’ networks, that’s not the case. Quite the contrary: it is possible to not only create, but enforce, the same network security policies for both in-person and hybrid employees.
A written policy offers structure for both remote and in-office teams. It outlines acceptable use guidelines, password standards, device requirements, and response procedures for suspected threats.
Because hybrid setups tend to have more variables (different networks, devices, and user habits), your policy should be specific and regularly updated.
Zero Trust and zero trust network access, or ZTNA, is a security framework where no user or device is implicitly trusted, even if it’s already within the network — hence the common ZTNA phrase “never trust, always verify.”
Verification is a continuous process — devices and identities must prove their legitimacy whenever they request access to resources. For hybrid work security, Zero Trust helps ensure that each endpoint and application connection always remains verified.
Discover how OpenVPN can help you build the foundation for the right approach for your business with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).
Employees who connect from outside the corporate perimeter need secure ways to access internal services. Two significant technologies can help:
VPNs encrypt the data flow between a user’s device and a company’s infrastructure, preventing would-be attackers from spying on or manipulating traffic. In other words, a VPN protects data in motion.
If you prefer a self-hosted solution that gives you granular control of exactly where your data will flow, consider Access Server to unify security policies regardless of where employees sign in. You can also set up a cloud-based VPN, like CloudConnexa, for quick setup and the ability to implement additional security controls like website filtering and zero trust network access.
SASE is another technology that, like a VPN, merges networking and security functions into a single cloud-based platform. This approach improves visibility, enforces standardized controls across all connections, and can adapt to each user’s location.
For hybrid workplaces, SASE simplifies oversight: the same set of rules protect the business regardless of whether employees are in the office or at home.
Learn about the VPN's role in SASE and how it can help.
The most security-strict person you know has probably still fallen victim to a breach through no fault of their own, compromising their passwords and leaving them at risk. That’s where MFA comes in. MFA requires users to provide at least one extra form of verification — like a single-use code on a mobile app — when logging in.
Enforcing MFA across your organization helps neutralize unauthorized access attempts, even if passwords become compromised.
Learn how Multi-Factor Authentication with OpenVPN can make all the difference.
EDR tools watch for unusual activity on endpoints, allowing IT teams to react quickly to suspicious behaviors. They often include real-time threat detection and automated investigation features. If an employee’s device is infected with malware, EDR can help isolate it from the rest of the network and reduce the odds of a company-wide incident.
UEM platforms let you manage and secure all devices — PCs, smartphones, tablets, and more — through a single interface.
By applying uniform policies and monitoring, you can keep software versions current, enforce encryption, and revoke access if a device goes missing or is compromised.
Cloud environments play a key role in most hybrid workplaces — especially as we see the boom in cloud-based technologies and SaaS applications for business.
Solutions like CloudConnexa help protect data as it travels between on-premise systems and cloud applications. Combining encryption, threat detection, and identity checks gives you broader control over who interacts with cloud resources.
Video conferencing, messaging apps, and file-sharing platforms are staples of hybrid work. It is crucial to select collaboration tools that encrypt data and support strong authentication methods.
You can also layer these tools with secure remote access solutions. For instance, OpenVPN's SaaS security solutions protect access to SaaS and can enhance your organization’s security posture when employees rely heavily on hosted software.
Businesses are increasingly facing advanced cyberattacks that involve multi-stage operations by well-resourced criminals. Advanced threat protection solutions typically use machine learning and threat intelligence feeds to detect suspicious patterns.
They can thwart stealthy attackers who might slip under the radar of traditional antivirus software. A robust advanced threat protection system often integrates with other monitoring solutions to provide a holistic view of network health.
Managing a distributed workforce is a balancing act between flexibility and security. The more widely your data and operations extend, the higher the potential risk. Thankfully, by adopting a well-structured strategy, employing a Zero Trust mindset, and investing in proven defensive tools, you can succeed at hybrid work security without jeopardizing your organization.
Secure remote access through VPN solutions, consistent device monitoring via UEM and EDR tools, and well-enforced policies are all essential. But how do you choose which technologies will be right for your business?
For more insights into selecting effective solutions, download our 2024 IT Admin’s Guide to Evaluating Network Security Solutions. This guide will help you navigate product features, compare vendors, and make informed decisions safeguarding your hybrid workforce.