Here's why remote work needs a security upgrade

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has forced major corporations to enact emergency measures. Closed offices, canceled events, travel bans, and remote working policies have been introduced to protect employees and limit business disruptions. Companies had to set up business continuity plans and adapt to a new way of working.

Now we access critical company resources from personal phones and other devices using home Wi-Fi, and this could put companies at risk. 

Secure access is broken, and VPNs aren’t enough

Gone are the days when work used to happen only at the office. Back then, the model of trust and access to a company’s data was based on the corporate network perimeter. Access was determined by whether you were inside or outside of it. For a while, this method worked to block cyber attackers. But the problem escalated: 74% of data breaches are generated by privileged credential abuse.

Now we work remotely. Our company data is in the cloud, and we connect to that information whenever we need it. To adapt to this change, the concept of the network was extended outside of the office perimeter using VPNs. But in reality, VPNs can be slow and unreliable. Moreover, they are complex to configure and setup, and their technology is based on old assumptions fitting the old, office-only work model.

If there is a flaw in the networking configuration or even outdated VPN software, an attacker only needs to compromise one device, with a phishing attack or unpatched system, to access key resources in the company network. The NordVPN hack are Palo Alto Networks vulnerability are a few breaches that prove this point.

Upgrade to secure access

Our goal with Barracuda CloudGen Access was to move beyond the old assumptions that VPNs are based on. We built a new system based on the concept of Zero Trust. 

Zero Trust means that every person and every device are not trusted, whether they are inside or outside of the company network perimeter. Accessing company resources and data is not automatic, over-privileged, and uncontrolled like in many enterprises today. The Zero Trust model shifts the company network perimeter and moves it to every device and user within a company that’s trying to access information. It increases the chances that if an asset is compromised, it won’t affect the entire company. 

How does Barracuda CloudGen Access empower a remote workforce? Barracuda CloudGen Access continuously and in the background verifies whether you are the right person, with the right device, and with the right permissions to access company data or apps. It is fast, reliable, productivity-boosting, and culture-changing, allowing people to collaborate when convenient and without friction. And unlike VPNs and MDMs, it protects employee privacy.

What is Barracuda’s secure remote access?

Barracuda CloudGen Access secures and simplifies access to any on-premises, cloud, or hybrid app and workload. It’s a modern way to access your company data from any device or location, which is critical when the situation is changing day-by-day.

Our connectionless, modern alternative to VPN enables users to achieve 70% improvement on access flows and reduces latency by more than 20% compared to traditional VPNs. It deploys in less than 5 minutes and provides immediate visibility to all remote access requests.

Start today: Quick to deploy, easy to use, simple to manage

With Barracuda CloudGen Access you can easily onboard your teams to ensure secure access to internal apps and web. Because no MDM is required, provisioning and onboarding are fast and simple. Set and manage access controls with the Barracuda CloudGen Access policy engine. Gain valuable insights into your enterprise's app and web access and mitigate security and compliance risk.

Empower employees: Leading-edge security for all devices 

Barracuda CloudGen Access protects against credential theft and blocks phishing attacks at the device level on the go, which is a critical need for employees operating outside the corporate network security perimeter. It adds no latency and improves productivity due to local inspection of network activity and eliminates the challenges associated with unreliable mobile networks.

Barracuda CloudGen Access makes it simple and easy to use the same infrastructure and policies, whether employees are at the office or working remotely. 

Secure your remote workers with Zero Trust Network Access