Over 40 per cent of Australians and New Zealanders have been working from home at least once a week during the pandemic. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics this pattern is set to continue post-pandemic. 

In 2020, remote work became the norm. But in 2021, the unpredictability of the pandemic has called for a hybrid approach. Employees are now working at home, in the office or in other remote locations such as co-working spaces or cafes - and employers are leaning on technology to ensure their teams remain engaged and productive.

But a transition to modern ways of working brings with it a whole new set of challenges.

As IT teams scramble to update technology and processes, they may experience employee resistance, an uptick in support desk requests, a lack of familiarity and comfort with software tools, and new security threats they need to solve.

Security risks from hybrid model

Without the right technology to support hybrid working, employees run risk of becoming the weak link in an organisation’s cybersecurity chain. 

Human errors are now the source of 70-100% of security incidents and make a workplace vulnerable to data breaches, loss of hardware and viruses Such errors include weak passwords, forgetting to update software, clicking on phishing bait and granting unauthorised users access to devices.  

Employers must equip IT teams with the resources and technology to ensure that employees are well-versed in the necessary knowledge and protocols for secure hybrid working.

With employees and employers demanding connectivity and high-speed performance on every device, from everywhere, the approach to security needs to evolve. 

“Working from home has fundamentally changed network security. It's now a little like protecting the President of the United States. When the President moves, the whole security has to pivot,” says Adam Kirkpatrick, Associate Director of Networks Australia at Datacom.

“The security paradigms used to create a fortress around the President in the White House are no longer adequate. The same applies to protecting employees as they leave the office network to work from home, or remotely.”

Avoiding the hidden traps of hybrid working

Aruba’s powerful Networking Portfolio equips IT teams with the resources and tools to build a successful hybrid workplace. Recent advancements to Aruba ESP were designed to minimise the risks and maximise the benefits of hybrid working. 

As IT teams lose visibility across the corporate network and control over personal devices, organisations require an added layer of protection in areas where traditional security solutions are often deficient. 

Aruba ClearPass Device Insight provides a clear view of all devices that connect to a network at any given time. The automated and AI-powered features augment human capacity, allowing your IT teams to cover more ground, more accurately. With less time spent on monitoring and troubleshooting, IT teams have more time to focus on accelerating digital transformation.

Edge cloud is also a game changer for IT teams who must stretch resources to ensure fast connection and communication – no matter where employees are logging on from. When data and intelligence is pushed to the ‘edge’ of a network, services like video conferencing become faster and more efficient, but often compromise security.

Business leaders are counting on the unique expertise of IT professionals to make hybrid working a success. So now is the time to get them out of time-consuming manual tasks and back into high-value areas. 

Discover how Datacom and Aruba Technology can help your IT teams automate network operations so you can confidently reap the rewards of hybrid ways of working.

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