Recent data from Entrust, a trusted identity, payments and data protection vendor, outlined a number of challenges that come with operating out of a “long-term” hybrid workplace. Of note, the 80 percent of leaders and 75 percent of staffers currently employing a hybrid model listed numerous instances of lost productivity, with internet security (21 percent) and sensitive data leaks (20 percent) among the top security challenges.
In its recent “Securing the New Hybrid Workplace” report, Entrust noted that 54 percent of employees logged up to six instances of lost productivity due to network access issues. Of note, 81 percent of employers claim to offer data security training to workers, with just 61 percent of staffers believing adequate training occurs. Other statistics of note included:
- 68 percent of employers indicating a desire to hire outside of geographic region.
- Improved access to training methods (53 percent) and collaboration tools (47 percent).
- Internal security methods including one-time passwords (51 percent), biometric authentication (40 percent) and mobile identity verification (36 percent).
Regarding in-office work, 96 percent of executives and 93 percent of workers point to the need for increased physical visitor tracking.
“With the uncertainties of the last year and a half, many organizations are well-adapted to remote work. With leaders planning the future state of their workplace models, we wanted to ask how they are adapting security and identity for the hybrid workplace: how are leaders and employees prepared to protect data and sensitive information? How will office security evolve? Will adapting to hybrid workplaces multiply vulnerabilities…or will enterprises choose smart security strategies to enable employees wherever they work?” said Anudeep Parhar, the CIO of Entrust. “With the study overwhelmingly indicating the desire of 91% of employees to work in a hybrid model moving forward, this data study provides businesses insight about how to democratize work from anywhere and incorporate security practices into their hybrid approach by working with companies like Entrust to implement solutions such as password-less and biometric authentication, mobile identity verification and more.”
Entrust surveyed 1,500 business leaders and 1,500 employees from 10 countries.
