With nearly a third of the population having received their first vaccination, and talk of all legal restrictions regarding social distancing to be lifted by June 21st, there’s certainly light at the end of the tunnel; an indication that life could soon return to normal.

However, what we can go back to, and what we choose to go back to could be two very different things. Whilst there are plenty of things the nation will no doubt be glad to see the back of, remote working isn’t one of them. In fact, a recent survey suggests 80% of workers would prefer not to go back to the office full-time.

As well as improving work-life balance and saving on transport, there are benefits for employers too, with many employees feeling more productive from home and saving time on their commute.

However, remote working also leaves a business more at risk of cybersecurity threats.

The average home setup is far less restricted than an office environment, with admin rights allowing staff to easily download free trials of products that could pose a threat. Not being on the same centralised system for updating anti-virus software causes further problems, leaving businesses vulnerable, with customer data, financial stats and other corporate information all at risk of being exposed.

Add to this, increasingly sophisticated malware and security threats and it’s clear we need to place more emphasis on the security risks of remote working. In fact, government research shows that in the months following lockdown last year, more businesses than ever faced cyber attacks and breaches.

It’s clear that organisations need to understand the risks they face and address them accordingly. To achieve this, security and software asset management (SAM) teams should work together to share information.

What’s the relationship between software asset management and cybersecurity?

Software asset management tools exist to provide you with a complete view of your IT estate. They can show you all software licenses and deployments, who is using them, and how they are being used. This means IT teams can ensure all products are up to date and patches have been installed, as well as making sure any vulnerabilities which could affect their business have been removed.