"I think we're most vulnerable to cyberattacks commercially. This challenge is going to significantly increase. It's not going to go away. — Michael Mullen, retired United States Navy admiral, former Chairman of The Joint Chiefs.
These days, if you ask an IT manager about their top priorities, they'd probably say that cyber threats are at the top of the list. Because no company, no individual, and no organization is safe.
Indeed, protecting organizations is not a destination. It's a long road which requires long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment.
Cyber Protection in a Hybrid and Remote World
Protecting a virtual organization takes creative thinking. "Think like a poacher to be a good gamekeeper," said Gerard Adlum, Head of Content Strategy & External Comms at Thinscale.
"Cyberattacks are going to increase. A contact center security posture must be agile. It must evolve constantly, and it must involve partners in the security space," he said.
Hybrid Work Means Extreme Threat Levels
On-site, hybrid, and remote work-from-home operations present a minefield of cybersecurity risks.
For example, employees use their own devices and corporate gadgets. Agents access a CRM system, Excel, or phones through the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Hackers never cease to test all these potential vulnerabilities.
Installing VPN and Anti-Virus Software Won't Do the Job
Contact centers typically use a VPN to protect against malware on the network, while they use an antivirus solution to safeguard the device. That strategy isn't good enough because the device isn't on the network and remains vulnerable to key loggers and screen scrapers.
Moreover, studies have shown that 80 percent of companies that had a data breach or a failed audit could have prevented it by patching on time or doing configuration updates.
Such statistics underline just how crucial it is to run diagnostics while ensuring devices are up to date with the latest patches and updates.