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22 26 18 16 12 CONTENTS VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 | Q1 REMOTE RESOURCES 8 Spatial training 8 Mental health check 10 Talent wars 12 You Better Recognize Study suggests employee recognition is vital to retention. By Bruce Christian 16 A View from the Middle Pandemic, labor market challenges permanently transform mid-market firms, survey suggests. By Bruce Christian REMOTE SECURITY 18 Overcoming Fear Fatigue How to limit risk in a changing work landscape By Brady Hicks 22 False Positives Annoying Reality or Dangerous Trend? By Brady Hicks REMOTE INTELLIGENCE 26 Digital Drivers Upgrading employee software adoption By Martin Vilaboy 32 Home Video Pandemic-caused challenges and solutions for remote video production By Mike Majewski 34 OneStream Maps Its Plan with Strategic Partnerships, Savvy Releases By Brady Hicks 38 Getting the Word Out A Buyer’s Guide to Employee Communication Applications (ECAs) REMOTE CONTROL 44 AI fights harassment 44 Manage your UC 45 WFH VDI storage 45 DaaS long game 46 The Tattleware Scare What the boss may not be telling workers By Brady Hicks 50 Machine Management at Your Service MIMaaS can help with the complexity of machine identity management By Bruce Christian 53 Box Adds Capabilities, Enhances Integrations to Content Management By Bruce Christian REMOTE NETWORKS 55 Fusion Connect Enables Productivity Anywhere as We Enter a New Era of Work By Brady Hicks 56 The SASE Salve Emerging network technology addresses many of the challenges of hybrid workforces By Bruce Christian 6 Letter from the editor 58 Advertiser index 58 Contact RWS 4 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

Martin Vilaboy Editor-in-Chief martin@bekabusinessmedia.com Bruce Christian Senior Editor bruce@bekabusinessmedia.com Brady Hicks Contributing Editor brady@bekabusinessmedia.com Percy Zamora Art Director percy@bekabusinessmedia.com Rob Schubel Digital Manager rob@bekabusinessmedia.com Jennifer Vilaboy Production Manager jen@bekabusinessmedia.com Berge Kaprelian Group Publisher berge@bekabusinessmedia.com (480) 503-0770 Anthony Graffeo Publisher anthony@bekabusinessmedia.com (203) 304-8547 Nazal Parvin Associate Publisher nazal@bekabusinessmedia.com (415) 516-7053 Beka Business Media Berge Kaprelian President and CEO Corporate Headquarters 10115 E Bell Road, Suite 107 - #517 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 Voice: 480.503.0770 Email: berge@bekabusinessmedia.com © 2022 Beka Business Media, All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in any form or medium without express written permission of Beka Business Media is prohibited. RWS and the RWS logo are trademarks of Beka Business Media When the world first came to a grinding halt, the ability to work outside the walls of corporate offices instantly became a mission-critical necessity. Everyone suddenly had to accept that everyone was doing their best. But as concerns over catching COVID in the office have diminished, the impetuses behind working remotely have flipped, suggest recent findings from Pew Research Center, and the ability to work from home has become an important part of hiring and employee retention efforts. “For those who do have access to their workplaces but are opting to work mainly from home, their reasons for doing so have changed since fall 2020,” said Pew researchers. Back in October of 2020, for instance, 64 percent of employees who were working from home said they did so because their workplace was closed or otherwise unavailable. By January of 2022, that number fell to 38 percent, with 61 percent of teleworkers now saying they “choose not to work from the workplace,” up from the 36 percent who made that choice back in October 2020. In Pew’s 2022 survey, a full three-quarters of remote and hybrid workers who indicate that their workplace is available to them say a major reason why they are currently teleworking all or most of the time is because they “prefer working from home.” An additional 17 percent say this is a minor reason why they are working from home, while just 7 percent say this is not a reason. “The share citing this as a major reason is up significantly from 60 percent in 2020,” said Pew. Concerns about being exposed to the coronavirus was as a major reason for working from home all or most of the time for just less than six in 10 respondents in 2020. That fell to just more than four in 10 by the start of 2022. “There’s also been a significant increase since 2020 (from 9 percent to 17 percent) in the share saying the fact that they’ve relocated away from the area where they work is a major reason why they’re currently teleworking,” continued the Pew study. All the while, a recent survey from hiring software company Greenhouse, which looked at the job-hunting experience of 1,500 people globally, found that 84 percent of respondents are looking or are open to a new job in the next six month, and more than 50 percent claim a position not offering hybrid or remote flexibility was a deal breaker. Lots of those answers likely change when that question is asked in real life, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of remote and hybrid arrangements to the postpandemic workforce. Pew’s recent findings even suggest that appeal is growing. Among those with jobs that can be done from home, 60 percent say when the coronavirus outbreak is over, if given the choice, they’d like to work from home all or most of the time. This is up from the 54 percent who said the same in 2020. Among those who are currently working from home all or most of the time, a whopping 78 percent say they’d like to continue to do so after the pandemic, up from 64 percent in 2020. College graduates and upper-income employees are most likely to prefer working outside the office environment. And make no mistake, Pew’s respondents, as they consider future employment scenarios, resoundingly believe teleworking is working. More than eight in 10 said remote/hybrid work made it easier or the same for them to balance work and life; 90 percent said teleworking made it easier or the same to get their work done and meet deadlines; 86 percent said it was the same or easier to advance in jobs. At a time when job openings outnumber job seekers, organizations have been forced to consider and develop all manner of initiatives, perks and “experiences” that attract and retain employees. For the significant subset of workers who can execute their roles in a remote or hybrid situation and have felt the personal cost savings and flexibility the situation affords, it seems clear that flexible working arrangements often will appear near the top of the list of their perk priorities. Remote for Retention 6 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

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With the emergence of a hybrid workplace, creating and sustaining a more supportive, engaging and productive work experience for employees has become harder. The demand for employers to evolve how they invest in their people requires deep understanding about their people-related data and how they compare in the employer landscape. With such in mind, Sequoia, a provider of HR software and analytics, recently launched Dataforest by Sequoia, an online resource for total rewards and people policy benchmarking to help HR leaders measure their people programs and practices against industry trends. Dataforest provides a comprehensive set of timely employee experience data through interactive experiences, making it easier to discover and understand insights. Dataforest total rewards and people policy data is compiled from Sequoia’s annual Employee Experience Benchmarking Report, topical survey responses from people-driven businesses and anonymized insights from the company’s proprietary database. Users of Dataforest have complimentary access to the latest trends as they unfold on how employers are managing compensation, workplace diversity, DEI, remote work, employee turnover, benefits and more; a range of targeted insights on retirement, employee wellbeing, global mobility and special reports; and can participate in topical surveys and share how their organization invests in its people. “Business leaders need a way to quickly understand and stay ahead of workplace trends in this distributed work environment,” said Greg Golub, founder and CEO of Sequoia. “Dataforest is the community-driven instance of our people analytics and insights offering organizations with real-time data that can be used to inform people and business strategy.” Sequoia Launches Total Rewards, People Policy Benchmarking Talespin Raises $20M to Train Using Spatial Technologies Mental Health Tops Employee Wellness Trends for 2022 Talespin announced it has raised $20 million in funding to train workers using virtual reality and augmented reality — or spatial technologies. During the pandemic, Talespin said it learned companies are willing to pay for VR and AR training because it’s often cheaper than sending workers into real-life situations with expensive enterprise or industrial equipment. And because they can’t train people so easily with remote work conditions. Instead of building content internally, the company shifted to making tools for enterprises to build their own applications more quickly. Since 2015, Talespin has developed a platform to power the creation and distribution of immersive learning experiences in VR and AR. It includes CoPilot Designer, an authoring tool that lets companies and content creators build their own custom applications. The technology uses 3D virtual humans and environments to help people practice conversational skills and simulate jobs with realtime feedback and skills analytics. Trusted by organizations such as Accenture, AIA Hong Kong & Macau, Farmers Insurance, JFF, and 10 of the largest employers in the Fortune 500, the Talespin platform can accelerate learning, higher employee engagement and create more impactful upskilling and reskilling programs, the company said. Mental health programs are seeing a rapid increase in adoption and investment in the workplace as the COVID-19 pandemic triggers mental health conditions, according Wellable Labs’ annual “Employee Wellness Industry Trends Report.” Ninety percent of employers surveyed are increasing their investment in mental health programs, followed closely by stress management and resilience programs (76 percent) and mindfulness and meditation programs (71 percent). RESOURCES Source: Wellable Labs 8 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

For More Information, Contact Your Fusion Connect Channel Manager Industry’s Best and Most Comprehensive Service Guarantee Customer Satisfaction ©2021 Fusion Connect, Inc. All rights reserved. Fusion Connect Service Guarantee INSTALLATION GUARANTEE Fusion Connect will meet the agreed-upon installation date(s) for UCaaS and/or SD-WAN services. If the targets are not met, the customer is credited with one month’s MRC for the service. 100% UPTIME GUARANTEE A 100% uptime guarantee for customers who purchase both UCaaS and SDWAN, or Fusion Connect provides a credit. RATE LOCK GUARANTEE Rates for Unified Communications and SD-WAN services will not change for the life of the customer’s contract. FUTURE-PROOF TECHNOLOGY GUARANTEE Ongoing upgrades to the next generation of UCaaS and SDWAN technology will be implemented at no additional cost. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GUARANTEE Customers will be satisfied with the quality of our Unified Communications (UCaaS) and SD-WAN services, and any issues will be resolved to their satisfaction, or the customer may cancel the service(s) without penalty.

Increasing Employing Apathy Increases Importance of Employee Experience People aren’t built to be resilient for years on end, warn researchers at the Workplace Institute at UKG. Yet the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to grapple with continuously interrupted personal lives, career pathing and planning for the future. “Constant resilience gives way to apathy as employees prioritize personal preservation and self-care over professional passions and performance,” said the Workplace Institute in a report of its annual predictions of the top trends that will impact the global workforce in 2022. “As this workplace apathy will impact millions of people and fuel continued jobhopping, the frontline workforce reaches its breaking point as everchanging business operations and inflated consumer expectations and poor behavior clash with prolonged health concerns and burnout,” continued the report. In turn, the importance of listening to employees and acting on their feedback will take center stage as business leaders and people managers work to grow engagement, respect personal and professional lives, and ultimately boost brand loyalty, said Workplace Institute researchers. “By establishing necessary support mechanisms, employers will be better poised to build a caring culture where people can enjoy meaningful work,” said the report. This means the life component of life-work balance will take precedent. “Employers will foster a culture of compassion and respect to support employees through their uniquely challenging circumstances,” continued the report. “More than ever before, people leaders will value and enable the holistic health and wellbeing of the whole employee, including physical health, mental and emotional support, and financial wellness.” According to a recent survey by XpertHR covering the HR challenges of U.S. organizations, nearly nine in 10 employers said recruiting and hiring will be either “somewhat” or “very” challenging in 2022 — making the tight labor market and Great Resignation more challenging for the recovering U.S. economy. Yet despite these concerns, approximately two-thirds of employers expect their workforces to grow in 2022. Indeed, organizations appear more bullish concerning the size of their workforce going into 2022 than they were a year ago, as the percentage of employers expecting to expand their workforce grew from 48 percent in last year’s survey to 69 percent this year. HR Issues for 2022, Rated ‘Somewhat’ or ‘Very’ Challenging Recruiting and hiring 89% Employee retention 79% Workplace planning 67% Vaccine mandates 66% Hybrid workforce 47% Diversity, equity and inclusion 46% Workplace health/safety/security 46% Employee benefits 46% State and local compliance 43% Employee leaves 41% Employee handbook 32% Data privacy 25% Source: XpertHR Nearly nine in 10 respondents also said recruiting and hiring will be either “somewhat” or “very” challenging for their HR function in 2022, followed by employee retention (79 percent), workforce planning (67 percent), vaccine mandates (66 percent) and hybrid workforces (47 percent). The data represents a 23 percent jump in recruiting and hiring concerns, compared with last year. Survey Suggest Employers Are Preparing for Epic Talent War RESOURCES 10 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

You Better Recognize Study suggests employee recognition is vital to retention Much has been written regarding the “Great Resignation” of 2021 and what is at the heart of it. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a record number of workers quit their jobs last year, and nearly 11 million job openings were recorded at the end of December. The tight labor market has forced employers to sweeten their offerings in terms of benefits, pay and flexibility, offering everything from shortening the work week, investments, signing bonuses and even paid time off even before the hired worker starts the job. What’s missing is a focus on recognition. Once the pandemic forced employee out of their “at-work comfort zones,” they began feeling less valued, less wanted and less noticed. People just want to be appreciated, you might say. In fact, numerous surveys of remote and hybrid work styles have shown employee engagement with their peers, supervisors and their companies in general is down. So is peer, supervisor and company recognition. The old adage “out of sight, out of mind” has affected the modern workplace. A 2021 data-driven study on talent retention by employee engagement platform Vantage Circle concluded that “employee recogBy Bruce Christian RESOURCES 12 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

nition can do wonders with an employee’s job performance and satisfaction levels.” The report states that 91 percent of Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) professionals believe rewards and recognition increase employee retention. This is because programs addressing rewards and recognition connect teams personally and virtually. They elevate employee morale and boost confidence, said Vantage Circle researchers. Indeed, even studies prior to the great remote work experiment have shown that many workers place appreciation from their peers, supervisors and company ahead of the pay or other benefits they receive. In short, employees appreciate the recognition they get from their leaders. Recognition is a way for employees to know their contributions to the company help the organization succeed. According to SHRM, while monetary or non-monetary rewards are beneficial, a word of recognition from leaders holds greater value. What’s more, SHRM said employee recognition must go beyond closed doors. It needs to be public. Appreciation on a public forum – such as on a social media platform – exhibits the employees’ hard work and exposes the recognition to a wider audience. However, when a company grows or changes, it needs to find new ways to recognize and reward employees. Recognized employees stay motivated, and that means they are more engaged – even when working remotely. Retention is Challenging As Vantage Circle points out, hiring the best talent is difficult, but retaining it is more challenging. “Employee disengagement is one of the first signs they are likely to leave the job at your company,” the report stated. “Hence, implementing good employee retention strategies is the key to creating a highly engaged and satisfied workforce.” In its report, Vantage Circle stated that with the COVID-19 crisis waning, companies need to “reset,” and now is an opportune time to develop new employee retention strategies to enhance employee engagement and productivity. More than one-fourth of the employees (27.6 percent) surveyed for the report said they would be willing to change jobs for better recognition or appreciation. They added that they would be willing to leave their employment if their supervisors fail to recognize their ideas, contributions and presence. Peer-to-Peer Recognition In particular, executives believe peer-to-peer recognition improves employee engagement and retention. Recognition is about highlighting positive efforts, whether personal or professional. With timely and regular appreciation, leaders can foster an engaged workforce, and this can go a long way in improving retention rates. Vantage Circle says companies should revisit their rewards and recognition programs by encouraging a peer-to-peer channel. Peer recognition allows management to focus on enhanced employee engagement. It is a “go to” solution for every employer to ensure equal recognition and make it a part of the company culture, said Vantage Circle researchers. A peer recognition program opens an opportunity to create a company culture of increased communication. It helps a company to place value on every person’s opinion. A successful peer-recognition program can be beneficial by boosting at-work relationships, promoting overall team spirit and improving confidence and self-esteem Reputation and Retention When it comes to employee retention, the company’s image, reputation and prestige play a role. Workers enjoy being associated with a respected brand, and they look for those kinds of opportunities. Companies are looking for strategies and ways to retain their employees in the war of recruiting the best talents. From offering perks to flexible working, companies are leaving no stone unturned to retain their employees. And one factor in retention is remote working. Now that workers have tasted their own home-made coffee at their own kitchen table, they want to sip it in their housecoat and slippers. Another major factor is the commute. Many workers no longer want to fight traffic to and from home to work – especially if it is a long commute and they have to drive it during clogged-street rush hours. 13 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

However, while companies are focusing on growth and employee productivity, Vantage Circle found that many of them overlook the employee recognition component. According to Gallup, only one in three employees feel they receive recognition for the work they do. Also, employees who don’t receive recognition are likely to leave within a year’s time. Frequency of employee recognition also is crucial for business success and employee engagement, the Vantage Circle report concluded. Frequency helps employees develop trust and confidence that their work will be appreciated and recognized in the future. HR software provider PrismHR offers this list of the eight most important things employees say they want to boost their morale and engagement: • EmployeesWant to Feel a Sense of Responsibility –Workers want to feel as if their daily activities matter. Give them an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.Work together as a team to create momentum and produce results.Then, share credit where it is due for the work that was accomplished by individuals and the team effort. • Employees Want Work-Life Balance – Spending too many hours in the office will take a toll at home. At the same time, it can be drudgery if a person doesn’t feel needed in the office. Offer paid time off, sick time and flex hours to encourage employees to manage their home responsibilities without sacrificing the time that they need to spend on the job. It is common for work to ebb and flow, so be flexible. • Employees Want Recognition – It is demoralizing to put a lot of time and effort into a project, only to have the recognition go to a manager or someone else on the team. Failing to give recognition could make someone feel as if their work isn’t valued, leading to low morale and high turnover. Look for opportunities to provide positive feedback and praise for a job well done. • Employees Want a Modern Workplace – People are tired of old-fashioned cubicles and boring workplaces. Provide a variety of options and environments for employees to work. Conference rooms, lounges and standing workstations are all examples of how people can move around the office throughout the day.Technology has made it possible for people to step away from a desk and still stay connected. Give them the freedom to wander with a good laptop and a strong Wi-Fi connection throughout the workplace. • Employees Want to Work from Home –The work from home industry is growing with many people focusing on positions that allow them to stay in the comfort of their own home. Even if you don’t have full-time WFH positions, consider giving employees the option to work from home once or twice a week if the job allows. • Employees Want Perks and Benefits – It is amazing how much leverage a company can get by offering the right benefits and perks. Little motivators can go a long way to boost productivity and encourage people to optimize their efforts. Be creative in finding ways to reward employees. • Employees Want Opportunities for Growth – Many people find it hard to be motivated when they feel stagnant in their job. Offer opportunities for growth so employees can see a pathway up the career ladder. • Employees Want Open Communication – Employees want to feel as if their voices are heard. If you want someone to feel important and valued, make sure to give them your full attention during the conversation.Then, follow through with the results of the meeting to help the person see that you considered their input. The 8 Things Employees Really Want 14 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

Millennials Want it Now In today’s work world, Millennials dominate, and one trait of this generation is an expectation to be recognized instantly. Therefore, if a Millennial worker is not recognized within a short time of completing the task, he or she may feel no recognition is coming, prompting hard feelings and disengagement. According to the study, employers should keep in mind that real-time recognition aligns employees with company goals. When employees are confident that their efforts won’t go unnoticed, they tend to grow in their jobs and become better employees. It is a source of empowerment, trust and security. Yet, according to the Vantage Circle study, nearly a third of companies admit to recognizing employees only once a year in annual reviews. While most respondents to the survey say they still want monetary awards recognition, a monthly salary is never enough. Introducing monetary awards and incentives is beneficial. When employees receive a financial bonus for their stellar performance, it boosts their motivation, job satisfaction and involvement in company decisions. However, not all employees crave money as a reward for their work. Some simply want appreciation and praise from leadership. Hence, certificates and plaques are a great retention strategy. Verbal appreciation builds a sense of trust and confidence. When company leaders personally recognize employees for their work, the workers feel motivated and uplifts their morale. Attractive employee perks and discounts are another way to keep employees engaged and productive leading to better retention. Companies can opt for recognition perks such as employee discounts vouchers, gift cards, restaurant vouchers, etc. The Prime Objective According to the survey, employee retention is the prime objective for 60 percent of employee recognition programs. Many companies know this relationship yet fail to implement it. Implementing an automated recognition program gives employees a sense of purpose toward their work. It enables real-time data with deep insights into employee trends and behavior, ensuring fair and equal recognition. With on-time recognition, companies can calculate their engagement levels. Recognition can be a “pat on the back” or a “thank you.” But if leaders do it digitally, it garners more attention, and employees stay motivated. When peers get to congratulate each other over a social forum, they tend to get more exposure, and as a result, managers can expect lower attrition rates. As companies have resorted to remote work, conventional recognition programs may not work as well. But digital recognition ensures recognition from anywhere and everywhere. Automated recognition is available on multiple platforms, from phones to laptops, enabling managers and leaders to show their appreciation from anywhere. To retain employees, one must follow a transparent company culture, which includes rewards and recognition. According to Forbes, 55 percent of employees trust strangers over their own bosses. And many employees leave their jobs because of trust issues. With a digital recognition platform, employees can see who gets appreciated by whom and for what tasks. It restrains managers and mentors to indulge in any sort of favoritism, which is a trustbuilding factor. Every appreciation gets noticed on an automated platform for every achievement, encouraging fair and transparent employee recognition. In short, employee retention and employee engagement are interrelated, and employees who are recognized regularly for their work are more engaged, because they feel motivated and satisfied their work counts for something. J 15 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

A permanent workforce transformation is underway in the middle market, according to the “U.S. Middle Market Business Index (MMBI) Back to Work Special Report,” presented by independent audit, tax and consulting firm RSM US, in partnership with the Harris Poll and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The report reveals the structural shift to remote and hybrid work models is here to stay, and the data confirm that executives expect a tight labor market will continue to be a significant challenge over the next year. In the fourth quarter of 2021, more than a third (36 percent) of middle market companies polled stated they now have employees working remotely who weren’t doing so prior to the onset of the pandemic. Of those, 65 percent embrace hybrid work, meaning employees work off-site some of the time and in the office some of the time. Almost half (48 percent) of the survey respondents have made remote work a permanent option for some employees on a full-time basis, while 42 percent are considering making that shift. “The pandemic has been a once-in-a-century event that has significantly altered people’s lives and society as a whole,” said Joe Brusuelas, RSM US LLP chief economist. “It has also changed the entire perspective of where, when and how people work. The office of the future will have new standards and employ people with different priorities. Middle market companies that provide the flexibility and culture that workers demand stand to gain a prominent and lasting competitive advantage, all the more important in an incredibly tight labor market that has shifted the balance of power to employees for the foreseeable future.” Earlier concerns in the middle market around reduced productivity, teamwork and culture were proven mostly unfounded. Of the survey respondents that previously did not allow remote work, 77 percent said reduced productivity was not an issue at all or a minor issue. Seventy percent stated that reduced teamwork was either a minor issue or not an issue at all, and 75 percent said the challenges of managing workers created by remote working were not an issue at all or only a minor issue. Although 27 percent of respondents said remote work created a major issue in maintaining culture, 68 percent of companies reported it as only a minor issue, or it wasn’t an issue at all. By Bruce Christian A View from the Middle RESOURCES Pandemic, labor market challenges permanently transform mid-market firms, survey suggests 16 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

While many changes have been positive for middle market firms, they are grappling with challenges related to a tight labor market. Fifty-six percent of surveyed companies plan to ramp up hiring during the next year, and of these, more than 90 percent admit it will be at least somewhat challenging to staff their open positions. The outlook on retention is similar, with 85 percent of executives stating staff turnover will be a challenge. A lack of available qualified workers was cited as a reason to anticipate staffing issues by 96 percent of companies, including 43 percent that declared it to be a major issue. Even more companies said local competition for workers was a main reason for their hiring difficulties, while slightly fewer companies indicated the competition for workers with other employers in their industry was a factor. Other responses included issues finding people who want to work in their industry and the cost of labor. “The employment landscape in America has changed dramatically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we now have a situation where there are too many people without jobs, and there are too many jobs without people to fill them,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “In this tight labor market companies that adapt their workforce practices for more flexibility, invest in training and upskilling opportunities, and seek out workers from overlooked talent pools will be better positioned to compete for talent in the post-pandemic economy.” Almost half (49 percent) of the surveyed executives said they are sourcing talent for work that can be done remotely from a broader geographical area than before COVID-19. This is especially true for larger middle market companies ($50 million to $1 billion in annual revenue), with 59 percent stating they are expanding their talent pool to workers who may not be in the same city, or even the same time zone, as their bosses. To recruit and retain people, 59 percent of middle market companies that believe staffing open positions will be extremely, very or somewhat challenging said they plan to increase compensation, and 48 percent of these companies intend to enhance their benefits. These findings seem to indicate that many organizations are still trying to attract people with the traditional offers of better pay and benefits. “And in a bright spot on the labor front,” said RSM researchers, “nearly two-thirds of executives polled said they don’t expect challenges around turnover in the next year.” To foster retention, in addition to embracing remote work, 47 percent of the companies polled offer employee recognition, flexible hours, health care benefits and retirement programs. The Future of Work Working toward transitioning from a pandemic to endemic environment, middle market companies are considering the areas in which they want to invest during the next year. For example, 66 percent of respondents plan to invest in new skills training for their existing employees. At the same time, companies will need to balance the well-being of their employees and clients with the limitations of their office spaces while adhering to federal or state laws. The shift to remote work does seem to indicate a looming reduction in office space, as more than a third of respondents are reducing their physical offices and other workspaces – at least in the near term – “and may be benefitting from reduced overhead as a result.” Make no mistake, companies that don’t offer remote or hybrid work will face a disadvantage in recruiting and retaining talent, concluded to the report. The survey data show the future of work includes new systems and technology for increasing worker efficiency, as well as improving cybersecurity. Of the companies that said staffing open positions is at least somewhat challenging, 59 percent are planning or considering investing in automation or information technology, and 73 percent of those said their goal is to increase employee productivity. The survey findings imply these companies are not looking to reduce staff, rather, they’re aiming to improve job satisfaction by reducing administrative and repetitive tasks. The survey data that informs this index reading was gathered between October 4-21, 2021. The RSM US Middle Market Business Index (MMBI) is based on research of middle market firms conducted by Harris Poll. The survey is conducted four times a year, in the first month of each quarter: January, April, July and October. The survey panel consists of 700 middle market executives and is designed to reflect conditions in the middle market. J 17 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

SECURITY Overcoming Fear Fatigue How to limit risk in a changing work landscape By Brady Hicks In just two years, the work world has changed so much. With the onset of a global pandemic, staff members were forced to abandon their offices, workspaces and cubicles in favor of a strange yet familiar setting: their homes. Employees were immediately thrust into a largely unsupervised environment in which they tried to maintain productivity despite being unable to connect and collaborate with others face to face. Compounding this issue is the expanded attack surface. As organizations increasingly adopt remote and hybrid work policies – with 61 percent of employees, according to Pew Research Center surveys preferring this model despite a return-tooffice path – they can grow their workforces into newer, more far-flung locations. No matter how small the operations, the modern business can now span the country or even the world. With this enhanced opportunity, however, comes inherent risk. Today’s cyber-attacker is constantly developing new and sophisticated ways to thwart anti-malware services, outsmart security policies and gain access to vital information. Every Wi-Fi connection, video call, online storage option, 18 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

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shared login and recycled password opens a potential hole for the bad actor to exploit. Cyber-criminals are well practiced at targeting this widened attack surface, while employees’ poor choices are seemingly also not going away. Today’s remote worker usually sits alone and is unsupervised throughout the day. For many, it has been this way since the most disorienting early days of COVID-19. According to American Medical Association Senior Digital Fellow, Dr. Anna Yap, one resulting malady is caused by “loss of social connection.” With “COVID fatigue,” workers tend to experience lower energy, increased apathy and, in some cases, complete burnout. These feelings, however, can also manifest in other dangerous ways, such as “fear fatigue.” With this form of exhaustion, the worker grows complacent with the numerous – and often perceived as unnecessary – security measures that he or she needs to follow as a teleworker. Complacency has become a natural result of being force-fed corporate policy that dictates they should be fearful of incessant outside attacks. Most staffers have at least a basic understanding of the risks they are taking by skirting policy but have simply grown tired of the inconveniences that sound cybersecurity habits can present. Compounding this issue is the overwhelming nature of what is at stake. The decisions made by today’s remote worker – good or bad – can have real-world implications on the employer. It is not merely the single worker’s logins, correspondences and accounts that are potentially left vulnerable. The company’s sensitive data and overall wellbeing are exposed as well. The Dangers Fear fatigue only compounds the growing risk to which companies are exposed. The work-from-homer can become apathetic to the notion that their online decisions can have a direct impact on the safety of company information and operations. In many cases, they know the organization’s cybersecurity policies and best practices but simply do not embrace them. It can lead to sloppiness with personal choices that are so critical: sharing passwords, failing to create new ones, opening email attachments or even not securing an internet connection. While instances of this may seem to be isolated, new data published by Malwarebytes suggests that fear fatigue may be far more treacherous. This study determined that 61 percent of staff members experience fear fatigue, with as many as 27 percent feeling “particularly overwhelmed.” In other words, the modern workforce has grown increasingly tired of being afraid. 20 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

“Organizations showed great versatility in shifting to dispersed work environments,” noted Adam Kujawa, Malwarebytes labs director, adding that “it also brought to light the need for an entirely different and more robust approach.” So how can you fight fear fatigue when you cannot sit with each remote employee and assist their decision-making process? Generally speaking, there are two schools of thought. Promoting Improved Awareness One involves bolstering employee education and general knowledge. According to Malwarebytes, 69 percent of organizations believe that workers need improved IT resources to make them generally more aware of cyber-risk. By combining cybersecurity training programs and innovative tools, the employer can help the remote worker to identify and prevent a dangerous situation, while also feeling more comfortable in turning to the organization should the need arise. While education can probably never hurt, this plan admittedly fails to fight fear fatigue at its source. It does nothing to tackle the general nonchalance and malaise that it can cause. Education presents the equivalent of taking an arachnophobe to a spider museum. Still, most experts believe that the best way to cut down on poor decisions is to eliminate misinformation in any way possible. Take the Choice Out of Their Hands Another way to fight the risks inherent with fear fatigue is to automate as many cybersecurity practices as possible. Some ways to accomplish this goal include: Increasing Reliance on CloudBased Collaboration – These tools generally feature automated security and encryption to protect information, regardless of the individual poor choices made by the worker. Automated Online Backup – By employing, for example, geo-redundancy, data is stored across multiple, remote locations to promote continuous access with minimal downtime, even if the event an individual file is compromised. Mandated Password Management – Require frequent password changes and prevent credentialsharing across multiple systems in order to isolate any account should it be compromised. Identity Management Systems/ Passwordless Options – Reduce the opportunity for penetration by eliminating the chance of credential misuse. Anti-Malware Detection – Critical to diagnosing malware before it can do too much damage. Mandatory VPNs – This is one proven way to secure the at-home network – and subsequently any networks to which the remote worker’s system connects – against penetration. As organizations continue to adapt to changes in the landscape, tweaks to their own strategies will also be needed. After all, malicious online activity is unlikely to disappear. By focusing on a two-tiered approach of limiting remote worker choice and increasing their understanding, today’s companies can help to limit not only poor employee choices but also the chance that those decisions could have devastating consequences. And, given how much the work world has changed in the last two years, fear fatigue is as unlikely to disappear as the actual cyber-attacker. J After being home for 18 months, what has changed about your company’s security posture? (Check all that apply) We have implemented new tools to enhance security 74% My organization has implemented new trainings to enhance security 71% We have required additional securities measures (MFA, etc.) 52% My organization has updated our crisis management protocols 49% We have continued the same way as at the beginning of the pandemic 13% Source: Malwarebytes 21 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

SECURITY False Positives Annoying Reality or Dangerous Trend? By Brady Hicks How accurate is your cybersecurity software? Does it catch the major threats, sometimes even honing in on the smaller, often overlooked vulnerabilities? Can it offer the pinpoint effectiveness your organization needs? Or are the scans sometimes far less effective, returning false positive flags or potentially overlooking a more serious attack? According to the data, there is a significant chance of the latter. Per a recent report from Cato Networks, nearly one-third of all threat intelligence feeds were found to contain either false positive results or a malicious IoC (indicator of compromise). This issue is further compounded in remote and hybrid work landscapes, where oftentimes your employee is left to his or her own, with minimal oversight over their actions and, in some cases, bad choices. Either way, the risks are numerous. While no single SIEM (security information and event management) system is completely foolproof, its ultimate success, as well as the operational benefit to your company, depends on its ability to identify and remove the weeds from the garden that is your organization. The bad news? Any inaccuracy represents an inability to prevent bad actors from striking, as well as a time-drain for those left to sift through the remains. 22 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

The good news? There are steps that your organization can take to minimize disruption on your own network traffic. Choose Correct Threat Intelligence While the precision of a threat intelligence service can be difficult to determine, a good rule of thumb is to remember that usually “You get what you pay for.” Having too-frequent false positive activity is not in and of itself dangerous but can ultimately slow your organization’s throughput and, as Cato noted, “overwhelm security teams, preventing them from spotting legitimate threats.” Proper intelligence should include access to informational resources (for detecting and stopping threats), IoC lists (including known-dangerous IP addresses and domains), threat severity information, attack frequency details and accuracy. Minimize Business Disruption Today’s organization walks a very narrow line between the false-flag threat and dangerous penetration. Obviously, the first consideration behind decisions should be the overall impact on operations. The goal is to eliminate or minimize downtime wherever possible, preventing threats from becoming a disruption by adopting the mindset that all IoCs should be treated seriously. Backing up files using geo-redundancy is a great step to keep operations running, but finding the proper balance between distinguishing false positives and identifying dangerous activity is the biggest step of all. Fight Fear Fatigue Complacency by a remote worker can be very dangerous. The concept behind fear fatigue is that the staffer has become inundated by security measures and “best practices,” and begins overlooking them out of sheer exhaustion. Organizations should follow a multi-pronged plan focused on improving access to education and resources and automating processes to remove employee choice. While this does little to actually limit inaccurate flags, it In this matrix, Cato shows the degree of IoC overlap between TI feeds. Lighter color indicates more overlaps and higher feed accuracy. Overall, 75% of the TI feeds showed a significant degree of overlaps. 23 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

can be helpful in reducing the mistakes that initially lead to a network penetration in the first place. Employ SASE Cato recommends bolstering threat intelligence by combining security and network flow data wherever possible. This process traditionally incorporates aspects such as extracting event info, normalizing and storing that data and employing query tools. In particular, SASE (secure access service edge) networking helps to streamline this process, making accessible data sets to help deepen – and thus refine – security intelligence. This is especially effective given that actual, admissible network traffic usually terminates at the most-visited sites, whereas a bad actor tends to replicate servers and domains to avoid the proper classification as dangerous. Use Services with Machine Learning Cato derives what it calls a “popularity score” based on how much network traffic visits any particular site. Using machine learning, the software runs a series of algorithms against a data warehouse, to assess how frequently visited a particular URL is, thus helping to better diagnose its legitimacy. The process, unfortunately, is based more off of trends and is not foolproof. Cato integrates this statistic with an “overlap score,” based on the quantity of intersecting IoCs. Using these metrics, it was determined that 30 percent of threat intelligence feeds contained IoCs with less overlap and more popularity. Thus, Cato asserts, blocking these indicators can cause “unnecessary security alerts.” Rely on Proactive Measures False positives are one thing. Sure, they can cause interference that delays your efficiency, but the ageold adage of “Better safe than sorry” rings true in this case. The far bigger issue that must be addressed is the level of proactivity that your cybersecurity software offers. Currently, most applications employ what threat-detection software company Infocyte calls “preventative and reactive components.” While these types of software can help to identify or eliminate known threats, these offerings really only protect against commonly known risks. At minimum, Infocyte notes, your organization should eschew services that rely on reactionary components in favor of security software that actively searches out all attacks (known, unknown and hidden) while also promoting incident response. Particular proactive recommendations issued by Infocyte include: • Assessing the ability of your SIEM to promote proper defense. • Scheduling and conducting periodic assessments. • Employing software that actively audits all networked applications, files, servers, systems and hosts. • Establishing clear cybersecurity policy and procedures for how to prevent and handle threats. • Promoting smarter cybersecurity awareness and best practices among staff, especially in remote work environments. • Outlining clear cybersecurity policy and procedures. • Minimizing time between when malware is identified and resolved. • Acting always as if the breach has already occurred. • Outsourcing your cybersecurity to a specialist. Widespread instances of network penetration – especially across the widened attack surface of a remotework company – means that the “false positive” scenario is still preferable to missing malicious signals. Still, accuracy is the most important element of a cybersecurity service. For that reason, selection of the proper software for your situation, paired with the measures outlined above, represent the bestcase roadmap for your company. False positives aren’t going away, nor should they. According to Cato, 78 percent of “accurate” feeds still include false positives, with this figure unlikely to significantly drop regardless of the steps that you take. While these triggers are always annoying and occasionally time consuming, they represent an active attempt to target maliciousness before it impacts your operations, sensitive data or bottom line. But while they will never totally be phased out, there should still be a proper attempt to minimize instances and hone the focus in on the real problem: malicious activity. The question is, can you minimize their impact? J What have been the biggest impediments to scaling security for your remote workforce? Bandwidth restrictions impacting productivity 41% Equipment for remote work (devices, accessories) 39% Logistics of installing agents on employees’ personal devices 29% We have not experienced security scaling issues 26% Not enough security staff 19% Monetary requirements for buying more or better security appliances 17% Source: Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021 24 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

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