Remote work is the new norm for all organizations today, with productivity and flexibility. It does come with new security challenges—unsecured endpoints, greater attack surfaces, and greater exposure to cyber-attacks. The traditional security models that are firewall- and VPN-based are not capable of addressing the challenge. What is called for now is a new-fangled, elastic solution: Managed Security Services (MSS) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE).
The Remote Work Security Challenges
Remote workspaces present their challenges:
- Unsecure Networks – Corporate resources are accessed by remote workers through home, coffee shops, and public Wi-Fi networks, exposing them to an increased risk of cyber attack.
- Lack of Uniform Endpoint Security – Beyond the corporate perimeter, devices may not have the proper security configuration.
- Increased Phishing and Malware Attacks – Remote work vulnerabilities are exploited by cyber attackers with spear-phishing attacks.
- VPN Disadvantages – Legacy VPNs cause latency, congestion, and poor granular access control.
Enterprises must deploy security models for the remote workforce—enter SASE and MSS.
How SASE Improves Remote Work Security
SASE is a cloud-native solution that combines networking and security as one. The most important security benefits are:
SASE is premised on the state of ZTNA, a sophisticated access control methodology that does away with the need for VPNs by authenticating users mainly based on their profiles and the security stature of their devices. This offers minimum access and, thus, less internal threat exposure. The security is then hosted in the cloud, hence eliminating the need for all that protective cover on-premise but ensures comprehensive DDoS protection, whereby unauthorized direct access to the enterprise network is denied. AI-machine learning continuously analyzes changes to detect any potential threat, thus preventing hacks in real time through multiple spam blocking, including those focused on phishing and malware, particularly ransomware prior to reaching remote workers. Secure Web Gateway (SWG) and Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) provide further protection by restricting access to malicious sites and offering cloud-based firewall defense for remote users, respectively. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) also prevents and monitors unauthorized data transmission from remote endpoints, ensuring compliance with data security regulations.
The Managed Security Services (MSS) Role
Managed Security Services (MSS) adds real-time monitoring, threat response, and professional security management to SASE. MSS providers allow organizations to:
- Real-Time Threat Monitoring and Response
- 24×7 security monitoring speeds up threat detection and response.
- Security teams investigate and remove threats before they can do any harm.
- Improve Security Posture
- Weaknesses are revealed by MSS providers and recommendations for security enhancements are made.
- Preventative risk management keeps remote offices secure.
- Ensure Compliance
- Helps businesses manage remote work security compliance with laws.
- Enforces data protection and access control.
- Reduce IT Overhead
- Relies on specialists to perform security operations, while internal employees can free up time on company matters.
- Automates threat detection and response for efficiency.
Facilitating a Secure Remote Work Strategy with SASE and MSS
To secure remote work, businesses should:
Embracing a Zero Trust Strategy – Use SASE instead of legacy VPNs and implement strict access controls.
Empowering Cloud-Delivered Security – Harness cloud-delivered SWG, FWaaS, and DLP to protect users anywhere.
Leverage Managed Security Services – Collaborate with MSS providers for 24/7 monitoring and expert threat management.
Train Employees in Cyber Hygiene – Provide continuous security awareness training to avoid phishing and credential grabbing through employees.
Automate Threat Detection – Use AI-powered analytics to identify and filter out cyber threats in real time.
Conclusion
Work is changing rapidly, often to the near exclusion of life outside the office, and new forms of cyber security are therefore evolving. For the employees working from remote locations, SASE and MSS converge as seamless next-gen solutions for scalable security in real time. Through convergence, an organization creates a safe, strong, and functional environment for its workforce to work from remote locations without compromising program performance or productivity.
