2020 and COVID-19 taught us a few things in the security industry: the importance of security awareness, speed of deployment is not always a good thing, and assuming new levels of risk such as “remote work force”. With so many challenges still on the horizon, here are some of the key topics to have on top of mind:

Virtual platforms are a great tool to bring people together. And at least initially, virtual backgrounds were fun. Many of us used virtual backgrounds to redecorate our homes, try out new styles and show off some of our personal interests. But the trend now seems to be shifting. My experience is that people are now increasingly using real backgrounds for virtual meetings.  Both virtual and actual backgrounds are acceptable during online meetings. However, there are at least four important things that work-from-home warriors should consider when choosing to share their real backgrounds given that many of us are still working from home offices.

Many organizations are planning to continue with remote work until at least late spring 2021 while others will continue to migrate to a distributed workforce as part of their long-term business plans. With all of this in mind, a quick look at the cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance Magic 8 Ball indicates that “all signs point to yes” for continued attacks and digital transformation.

While the rough seas may be behind businesses, now is not the time to rest. It’s important for security leaders to remain diligent about their company’s security posture and adapt to the latest state of the world. Focusing on people, processes, and technology is not only the foundation to a solid cybersecurity strategy, but also absolutely critical at a time where workers have never been further from security teams’ protection.