STEP LOGIC found out what technologies companies are implementing to protect corporate networks during remote working

Technologies to protect remote communication channels are the most in-demand.

«First wave» of coronavirus compelled employers to consider creating protected services for remote working. STEP LOGIC conducted a survey amongst large and medium-sized Russian companies and stressed key trends in building corporate network security systems for remote working.

According to the survey, companies focused primarily on remote communication channels security: 90% of companies use VPN either fully or partially for remote working.

Much attention is paid to controlling the access to confidential information: 52% of companies regularly check rights and the list of resources accessible to remote users. Over 40% of employers monitor and record activities of their employees and contractors who connect to the corporate infrastructure remotely.

Companies monitor not only what employees do in the corporate network but also their location and number of hours worked: 34% of respondents monitor geolocation and keep records of remote sessions duration and work intervals.
 
Companies check devices used by the employees to connect to the infrastructure. 38% of companies assess device status of users when they connect through VPN, monitor security update availability for OS and antivirus software, preventing infected computers from accessing the network.

Fig. 1. Technologies implemented by companies to organise remote work

Only 25% of companies implement multi-factor authentication for remote working despite the fact that today MFA is the most efficient tool to prevent brute-force attacks.

«Survey results allow us to conclude that over 3/4 of companies have successfully implemented VPN services to provide for remote working. High figures indicate that many companies used such services before the pandemic, and during the pandemic they had to scale it up quickly. Other measures for improved unauthorised access prevention, monitoring connected devices, and users' activity are implemented to a significantly lesser degree. However, we are witnessing a clear positive trend in these fields, notwithstanding financial difficulties faced by many companies, – says Nikolay Zabusov, Head of Information and Network Security Department at STEP LOGIC. – At the same time, 25% of respondents admitted to giving low priority to data information security during remote work. Considering that the growth in the number of cyber attacks on various industries in the second quarter of 2020 amounted to 20–100%, such carelessness may come at a price».

About STEP LOGIC

STEP LOGIC company (step.ru) is a member of GKS group of companies (AO Sistematika Group) with 27 years of experience in providing network and system integration services for the Russian market. The company has more than 600 employees with its offices based in Moscow, Kazan, Yerevan, and Almaty. The company employs over 350 engineers and system architects certified by the world's leading manufacturers. The company has high-level authorisation with such vendors as APC by Schneider Electric, Avaya, Check Point, Cisco Systems, Crestron, Dell Technologies, Extron, Fortinet, HPE, Huawei, IBM, Juniper Networks, Lenovo, Microsoft, Polycom, Unify, and others. The range of solutions and services includes network and systems integration, audio and visual solutions, development of videoconferencing systems and contact centres, integrated security, data processing and storage services, network and engineering infrastructure development for buildings, the Internet of Things, as well as a full range of services for technical support and maintenance of information systems including IT consulting, auditing, and outsourcing.