Here at Tripwire, we, like many others, recently surpassed the one-year anniversary of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March of 2020, we have converted kitchens, spare bedrooms and garages into office spaces. Our pets and children have become our coworkers, and companies are reporting a sudden increase in shirt sales as opposed to pant sales.
One of the most significant changes to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is the shift to remote work. By late 2020, 58% of U.S. employees worked at home at least some of the time, and this trend will likely continue. While a remote workforce can bring several productivity and morale benefits, it also creates some security challenges such as cyber threats. Most companies’ cyber defenses are designed to handle a single, centralized network in one location with standardized devices.
Last year brought a lot of change. Companies across the globe had to pivot, ready or not, and many went fully remote just like we did here at Veracode.
On this one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic declaration from the World Health Organization (WHO), let’s check back in on the remote work stats for the past year.
Over the past several months, many organizations have had to shift their operations to a fully digital platform. This sudden shift was more challenging for some industries, like government, than other industries, like technology. And aside from having to adapt to fully remote operations, many organizations were also subject to tighter budgets, forcing them to become more efficient.
Increased uptime? Check. Better access to outside expertise? Check. Improved first-time-fix rate? Check. These are just some of the benefits of industrial remote access. Yet many customers are reluctant to embrace remote access. Not only that, but incidents such as the breach at the Oldsmar water utility might increase organizations’ reluctance to use remote access.
