Five Tech Trends That Make Companies Worried About Insider Threats

In the old days, protecting trade secrets was relatively straightforward. You kept many of these items on paper, locked up in special spots. Today’s environment is so different, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Companies worry a great deal about insider threats – the idea that any disgruntled employee or someone infiltrating the company’s physical or digital space is going to get their hands on trade secrets, customer information, financial details or anything else that can have a negative impact on the company’s operations and reputation.

So what brought modern enterprise to this point where cybersecurity is more than just a piece of the puzzle, and becoming an obsession for companies of any size?

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

The Bring Your Own Device trend was revolutionary for workers – they no longer had to carry a work phone and a personal phone, and they could save money on family plans.

However, in many ways, it’s a disaster for a business without robust cybersecurity. It’s all too easy for company secrets or sensitive information to get stolen from one of these devices. Companies have to address BYOD as they are putting together a cybersecurity risk assessment. Articles like this one at ScienceDirect go into greater detail about all of the related threats that BYOD programs and policies can bring.

The Digital Bullpen

Companies have to worry a lot more about facilities security, too.

With so many screens and workstations in use inside a business office, some insider could easily move around the open desk plan snapping pictures or otherwise snagging important data. Even videos of business operations can be compromising if there’s sensitive information on workstation screens. Take a look at how federal agencies are making recommendations about “whole building cybersecurity.”

Next-Generation Connectivity

The connectivity models that drive business have also advanced quite a bit in the last few decades. Now, stealing company information is as easy as plugging in a thumb drive. Or, a rogue employee or some other insider can simply email themselves some valuable data. That leads to bigger point about the cloud and Internet connectivity – it’s a double-edged sword. It gets companies closer to customers, but it also gets their inside information closer to all sorts of malicious parties.

The Remote Workforce

Now that everybody is everywhere, it’s a lot harder to monitor what employees are doing on the Internet.

Not that it was abundantly easy before. Many bosses and managers are familiar with the “flinch and click” that can happen when they move past someone’s desk. New monitoring practices can help higher-up people evaluate security in a facility, but it’s a little more difficult when the workforce is scattered all over the country or all over the world.

Internet of Things

Have you heard that experts are estimating 50 billion devices connected within the next few years? That’s the legacy of the Internet of Things – the idea that you can connect toasters, washing machines and all sorts of other appliances to the Internet the same way you connect mobile phones and computers.

The Internet of Things and new network philosophies like edge computing and fog computing are also going to work the cybersecurity muscles of all sorts of companies and businesses. That’s why it’s paramount that executives look toward good cybersecurity strategies to keep insider threats at bay.

SoftActivity Team