Unlocking the Changing State of Hybrid Workspace Security

The pandemic has irrevocably changed workspaces for businesses of all sizes. The sudden and necessary shift to working from home continues to have lasting effects, evident in the way businesses have adopted a hybrid work model. 

To examine this impact, Teradici conducted a survey of over 8000 people from six industries (Education, Finance, Healthcare, Media & Entertainment, Military & Government, and Technology & IT) about their security needs in hybrid workspaces.

The biggest takeaway from the Security Report was this: hybrid work isn’t going anywhere. 99% of respondents said their companies would continue with a hybrid work format even post-pandemic. Another reality of hybrid workspaces: the added need for security has seen companies move away from using VPNs, instead investing in remote desktops and Zero Trust Architecture that afford additional security.

Read on for more key insights from the report.

The Rise of BYOD

BYOD, which stands for ‘bring your own device’, has been growing in popularity amongst businesses during the pandemic. When employees use their own devices for work, it cuts down on overheads and improves productivity. 90% of respondents said employees working from home were using a mix of personal devices and corporate systems, with the majority (48%) using predominantly employee-owned devices.

But there is one major disadvantage to using consumer devices and that is the lack of security. There are numerous reasons for decreased security on personal devices:

• Employees who use their personal computers connect to a home network.
• They may not have the latest security updates downloaded.
• They save work data on their local systems, leaving them open to security attacks. 

These risks place unique security demands on the company’s IT infrastructure. And these demands are going to stay even after the end of the pandemic (whenever that happens). 74% of survey respondents believed the use of BYOD would increase. The expectation among respondents was that even when employees returned to the office, they would still be bringing their own devices. Read more about the rise of BYOD.

Endpoint security is a top IT priority

It isn’t surprising that the rise of BYOD corresponds to increased concerns around security, as reported by 94% of survey respondents. Cyberattacks are more common than people realize, which makes securing endpoints a high priority for IT teams.

Among all the respondents, 98% showed extreme concern about security in endpoint devices for employees who were commuting to work with their own laptops.

81% of respondents from the Education industry said they were ‘extremely concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about endpoint security. 65% of Education industry respondents also reported that they would be commuting with personal devices to work.

Move to Zero Trust Architectures

Increased security requirements have impacted the type of technology businesses are using for hybrid work. Primarily in the distinct shift away from VPNs.

97% of respondents are moving towards Zero Trust Architecture, of which 78% of respondents said they were already implementing ZTA or planning to do so within the next two years. An additional 19% said they were in the planning stage but didn’t have a deadline for ZTA implementation. 

Among the respondents, 95% highlighted a need for continuous verification of both endpoint devices and users.

VPNs are on the way out

As we mentioned, traditional VPNs are being phased out. Aside from the Education sector, all other sectors surveyed reported a higher usage of Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) as opposed to VPNs for hybrid work models.

Aside from the added security of remote desktop technology, VPNs were also deemed largely unreliable by respondents, with 75% complaining about slow performance and frequent disconnections. 81% of all respondents said that using VPNs proved challenging during the pandemic.

Among DaaS-users, 58% managed employee devices via thin clients or zero clients. You can read more about how PCoIP Zero Clients improve security while delivering high-quality desktop experiences.

Secure hybrid workplaces will rely on Zero Trust Architecture

With hybrid work becoming a mainstay across most industries and BYOD on the rise, the need for higher endpoint security has increased exponentially. VPNs that disconnect or slow down negatively impact productivity. What businesses need is a desktop solution that replicates the on-premises experience and security at home.

A Zero Trust approach means continuous authentication of endpoints and users, so data remains secure. And with solutions like Teradici CAS remoting software, companies can equip their employees with any type of device, corporate-owned or personal, and still achieve high standards of security and uninterrupted workflows.

The PCoIP remote display protocol that powers Teradici CAS only displays information transmitted in the form of encrypted pixels, so no data ever leaves the data center. Low IT costs and simple set-ups make Teradici CAS the ideal choice for businesses that prioritize security.

Download the complete Security Report for more insights.