By Jyoti Prakash, Country Director – Enterprise Security Business, Micro Focus India
India, with a population of a billion people and counting, is the second largest online market in the world with 500 million active internet users. Today, businesses of all sizes, have become increasingly dependent on digital data, cloud computing and workforce mobility. With data being stored across edge, core and cloud, invading a company’s data has become effortless. A global report revealed that the first six months of 2019 have seen more than 3,800 publicly disclosed breaches exposing an incredible 4.1 billion compromised records.
Cybersecurity is not just important for IT firms but also for individuals, who are the backbone of any successful organization. Most businesses ensure their employees use strong passwords and change them at regular intervals, to stay secured in this digitally connected world. However, security needs to be more than that.
As cybersecurity awareness month is around the corner,it is imperative for organisations to review their existing security ecosystem and ensure a secured IT environment.
Here are few steps to ensure security is engrained into an organization’s business process and also adds value to user experience.
What is the problem with passwords?
A global report revealed that 123456 is the most common password that has been used across globe, and millions of people still use this password today, thereby increasing the chances of breaches. Millennials value convenience and time more than safety, and this desire for convenience often result into shortcuts, thereby effecting the password security. A recent survey also revealed that 83% of people use the same password for multiple sites. Requesting people to change their passwords at frequent intervals doesn’t really help –most of them usually add a number or a letter to the previous version.
When we talk about millennials, only 42% use complex passwords – in terms of special characters, numbers and letters. The reason being, a lot of people – especially digitally active millennials, who are leading the workforce in India – are fed up with complicated passwords and security loops.
The problem is, people are busy at work, and they are judged partly on productivity. Do you think it is practically possible to ask the employees to remember too many passwords so that they can log onto the apps or even their laptops they need to do their job? Chances are they will forget. If this happens, they go through a long-drawn process of reset, while the work timeline suffers. It is comparatively easier for them to add a number to their existing password. Of course, one can set the system in such a way that will only accept complex passwords that are substantially different from previous ones.
Walk along the rows of desks and cubicles at the office and you are likely to see the “sunflower effect” – yellow sticky notes lining walls and computer terminals where struggling employees have written down their latest impossible-to-remember passwords.Everyone wants the company to be secure, but the need for convenience is a fact of life.
How to make security user-friendly?
Though ‘user-friendly security’ may sound like an oxymoron, immersive technologies go a long way towards making it possible. One should keep in mind that having a strong identity and access management policy is the key. It can determine in advance as to which applications and sites an employee needs to access and perform their tasks. Rest is just a matter of ensuring who they are and grant them all the access required for the entire day.
One way of doing this is through biometric scanning, which has become much easier. Many devices are now equipped with facial recognition, fingerprint, iris or hand scanners. If you go to the airport today, your check-in can be done just with the help of facial recognition. These unique identifiers allow you to be less reliant on passwords. They are also stronger,and you don’t even have to worry about them being stolen or remembering them.
Once an employee logs on through biometric scanning, the access management policy comes in – it knows exactly which databases and sites this worker has the right to visit and work on. The employee need not enter another username or password every time, no matter how many apps are required to be used.
If employees need to badge in to work, the process is even simpler. Through geo-fencing, they essentially get logged in as soon as they swipe their respective badges. The moment they turn on their laptop or connect their phone to the WiFi, the identity and access management system recognizes them, and they are good to go – virtually eliminating any passwords to log in!
How to make it easier for customers?
Identity and access management can even make it easier and more secured for the customers. If you ask them to change their passwords every six months or set up separate passwords for multiple accounts, they are likely to flee to a competitor, who doesn’t. Instead, one can use biometric scanning – or other forms of multi-factor authentication, such as text messages or tokens to verify their identity and grant them immediate access.
With technological development happening at a fast pace, there is no reason to use extremely strict security measures that are likely to backfire. With a solid identity and access management policy in place, the company’s data becomes more secure,and the employees/customers experience become hassle-free. These solutions might come at an expense however, with hackers becoming more sophisticated, it is crucial to view this expense as an investment for a safer future. These investments can also act as an improvement in the employee and customer experience and ensure a conducive environment.
thanks for sharing