Why Secure Access Control Should Be a Key Priority (in a Post-Pandemic World)

In this last post of the series ‘The Future of Access Control ’, we explain why is it high time to replace the use of passwords with more robust security options.

The Covid pandemic was accompanied by myriad changes to many aspects of normal life and our working practices were amongst the areas most affected. Suddenly, employees who were not furloughed during lockdown periods found themselves working at home, many for the first time. This change meant that organisations across all industries had to adapt fast, in order to facilitate this remote work. One key area for consideration was how employees might access work files and data from the home, which opened businesses up to the danger of cyber-attacks. As we adjust to the “new normal”, it seems likely that remote or hybrid working will continue in place, meaning that it’s more important than ever to ensure secure access.

The New Working Normal

It’s estimated that this year in the UK, 30% of employees are working remotely for at least one day a week, whilst the number of job adverts featuring remote work has increased by 307% [1]. With approximately 1 in 5 workers currently following a hybrid approach, there is a risk to a huge number of organisations unless proper security protocols are implemented.

The rise of both the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend and the increasing likelihood of home workers accessing workloads via their personal devices is one area for concern. Not only is there the risk that employees will be accessing sensitive data on insecure devices, which will not have been equipped with corporate cyber security defences, but there is also the danger that portable personal devices (such as laptops, tablets and smartphones) will be mislaid or stolen. Password protection not being fit for purpose (bots can now try 100 million password combinations per second [2]), leaves workplace networks and data in an extremely vulnerable position.
Furthermore, organisations that fall foul of cyber criminals will face costly repercussions, with fines for a data breach easily reaching €20 million, or 4% of annual turnover (whichever is the greater sum) for corporate. With hackers actively targeting company networks via password access methods, it’s clear that a more robust form of defence is required.

Fingerprint Sensors Provide Robust Security

However, it can be easy and cost-efficient for businesses to improve their cyber security. Installing fingerprint sensors into employee cards eliminates unsafe passwords and guarantees that only those with the correct permissions are able to access corporate networks and data. These cards offer a versatile means of employee authentication, being suitable for all types of access including entry to buildings, networks and individual devices.

Many businesses are predicted to embrace the adoption of fingerprint sensors in 2022 as part of an improved security protocol, as the technology has already proven itself in other key areas where secure authentication is important, such as in payment cards, digital wallets, and digital ID applications. Choosing to integrate fingerprint sensors means that organisations can embrace hybrid and remote working practices with confidence, making it a very sound choice.

 

Sources:
[1] https://jobdescription-library.com/remote-working-statistics-uk
[2] source text from Idex

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