Can any employee access company resources from anywhere and at any time? It depends on the company’s infrastructure. Recently established businesses have more chances to provide access wherever their teams are. However, companies with legacy architectures need to readapt to have the same time and place flexibility.

Every company infrastructure setup is unique. Therefore, it may require a different approach to solving the same challenges — like how users can access office-based data, applications, or devices while not being present on that particular site.

The most common solution is to choose VPN for security purposes and enablement of distributed teams. However, the VPN selection depends on its type and existing company network arrangement.

If your target is to enable employees to securely connect to different offices and branches of the organization despite being elsewhere, Site-to-Site VPN is the option to explore.

Site-to-Site solution using NordLayer 

Site-to-Site allows users to reach office-bind resources on HQ, your assigned office, or another company branch while not actually being on-site. It is a type of VPN that establishes an encrypted connection to a requested resource on the company network.

Therefore, connection to a single physical location via a virtual private gateway using VPN translates into user connection to all devices and resources assigned to a company router or firewall.

How does NordLayer’s Site-to-Site feature work?

The cloud-based feature can be enabled by connecting NordLayer’s virtual private gateway to the company’s router or firewall.

Moreover, cloud-based Site-to-Site makes it possible to configure a dedicated VPN server to connect to cloud service providers like Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.

Users with VPN access – whether present in the branch office, HQ, or remote – can connect to the company network and access the added internal resources and the on-site devices connected to the router/firewall, even though they don’t support a VPN connection.

• Remote user connection:

• Connection from a company branch:
  

• Connection from HQ:
  

NordLayer’s Site-to-Site feature requires virtual private gateways and physical location configuration. Once it’s ready, a VPN connects users to the local company network and allows them to access company resources like applications, data, computers, or printers.

The same logic applies to users accessing the company’s cloud service provider resources. VPN established connection and router/firewall configuration to support IKEv2 Site-to-Site functionality with a static public IP address can provide access to resources for employees despite their location.

Shortly, suppose an employee for a job needs to access your organization’s customer information stored in a database located in HQ, the email server that stands in an office branch on another continent and needs to print it out while working from home. In that case, it’s all available via NordLayer’s Site-to-Site VPN functionality.

How NordLayer’s Site-to-Site is different?

Traditional WAN companies have an architecture based on an all-to-one setup when business units – remote locations and resources of the corporate – are connected to one main point.

Such organizations exploit extensive legacy Site-to-Site architectures that employees use to connect to the network’s main point, allowing them to access company-enclosed resources from different locations. This type of network architecture delivers interconnectivity yet lacks remote flexibility and has downsides affecting network performance, efficiency, and scalability.

As a solution to legacy Site-to-Site, NordLayer is developed to provide flexible and simple problem-solving to the general downsides of using legacy networking. When focusing on the feature functionality, the distinction between legacy setup and cloud-based remote network access solution comes from overcoming the limitations of traditional Site-to-Site solutions.

Cloud-based NordLayer solution handles legacy infrastructure challenges of increasing remote connections with quick integration to the existing architecture. It reverts performance–efficiency–scalability limitations to company advantage:

• Decreased deployment time and expenses. NordLayer solution is fully hardware-free and compatible with hardware-based or hybrid existing infrastructures. Functionalities can be deployed within minutes and don’t require complex costs and long delivery times, focusing on time-to-value for the organization.

• Maintained security and productivity levels. NordLayer Site-to-Site distributes encrypted user traffic to company resources based on the request nature without affecting connection quality instead of bulk processing all users to a primary point of connection and allocating to requested resources afterward. 

• User traffic distribution. The feature decreases the heavy traffic load directing users to the internet resources, internal data centers, servers, or applications in a more streamlined manner. Therefore, the increased remote user traffic peaks don’t impact performance quality as with a traditional Site-to-Site setup. 

• Efficiency and scalability. Naturally, user traffic distribution significantly reduces on-site equipment use managing the ad-hoc demand to upgrade. On the contrary, cloud-based Site-to-Site functionality enables the company to scale on demand without resource-intensive planning.  

The feature brings another level to team performance in business operations using Site-to-Site. NordLayer’s cloud-based feature ‘helps cut hardware-ing and distance corners’, bringing efficiency to secure data sharing and authorized access of on-site devices within the organizations, even if physically impossible.

Benefits of Site-to-Site VPN 

Primarily, Site-to-Site VPN allows for establishing non-office-only based connections. The VPN enables secure data transfers and trusted user activity between the on-premise network and the public network established over the internet.

Implementing NordLayer on top of your existing infrastructure, Site-to-Site unlocks effective and robust cybersecurity measures for various organizational aspects.

Increased network security

Sensitive data and confidential information is the target of most cyber attacks. Thus, encrypted data transfers between organization members utilizing Site-to-Site, whether in the office or remote, help safeguard against data breaches.

Streamlined business operations

Team performance is heavily related to the availability and capacity of the company network. Therefore, Site-to-Site feature maintains a good speed and stable data traffic flow to provide users with quality connectivity and constant access to resources that influence business continuity.

Flexible and scalable protection

Hardware-free Site-to-Site configuration is a beneficial add-on to the existing company network, even the largely hardware-based ones. Thus, the reaction-to-action time to solve ad-hoc challenges is multiple times shorter and easier. It requires minimal resources and provides a solution based on business needs within minutes. 

Entering NordLayer’s Site-to-Site

NordLayer solution provides a modern approach-based Site-to-Site VPN. The feature allows present and remote employees to access data and devices in multiple corporate environments.

Using our remote network access solution to enable Site-to-Site VPN for the organization, IT admins have to follow simple actions to configure the feature. First, they need to create VPN gateways via the Control Panel as entry points into the network and assign teams or role-based employees to access the gateway so they can enter the company network. Site-to-Site has to be configured for every company unit for the seamless cooperation of teams.

With fewer systems to manage, unlimited scalability, flexibility, and easy setup, companies can ensure smooth and productive connections for their users and maintain high-security levels of the business.

The year was 2023 — three years after the pandemic started (and came close to an end), yet 75% of global workers were fully convinced remote work was the new normal. But what’s the actual status of remote work, and what perspectives does it have?

The pandemic became a massive sandbox that proved people don’t necessarily need to be nurtured by the office culture to be productive.

Workers argue that flexibility is their right whether they prefer to work in the best countries for remote work, like Germany, Denmark, the US, or any other location of their choice if the job is completed as requested. Management counters with the importance of organizational environment and team bond effectiveness created only by the presence in the office.

Both sides have their points, so what’s next — will we return to an on-site-only setup or transition to fully remote? Will more companies compromise on hybrid work after all? Let’s see where the remote work projections are guiding us.

How new is the ‘new normal’ of remote work?

It would be incorrect to say that remote work didn’t exist before 2020. Freelancers were the pioneers of working online — an adventurous and free-spirited career path. Before the pandemic, 2,9% of ‘teleworkers’ globally were exclusively working remotely. For instance, in the US market, only 6% had never worked in any kind of remote work setup.

The scope of work from home mainly spiked because of a safety measure to prevent virus spread. Even though the alertness settled and life started returning to normal, in 2022, at least occasional remote workers reached 62% globally.

According to Gallup research results, only 2 out of 10 people returned to the old routine — entirely on-site jobs. Meanwhile, the rest of 8 out of 10 employees are split between remote and hybrid work arrangements in the US.

The discussion mainly circles whether employees want to work exclusively remotely (49%) or want to share their time between home and the office (46%). Yet the same research reveals that only 6% of employees see the ideal work environment exclusively on-site.

Remote work tendency: to increase or decrease?

The swing in the longevity of time spent at home before and after the pandemic compares drastically. Let’s fact-check.

According to Statista, remote work in the US before the 2020s was a relatively rare yet existing event, occurring 1-2 times per week. However, 3-4 and 5+ days of work from home per week in the post-pandemic period replaced the then-popular 1-2 days/week work from home.

Talking numbers, the remote workforce reached 53%, and the pool of employees that never worked from home decreased by 13% after COVID-19.

The data of the US-based respondents reflects the increasing trend of staying at home rather than working from the office.

2020 was the rush-hour year, so comparing the difference jump from 2019 to 2021, the number remains increasing as the amount of remote workers has tripled. If we take data from 2018-2021, the fully remote workforce grew four times bigger.

How has remote work escalated in Europe? The growing tendency of remote work in European countries is also significant.

Eurostat data from 2019-2021 illustrates the increasing number of employed people spending more and more time working from home. The average of EU Member States climbed from

• 14,6% WFH sometimes or usually* in 2019, 

• 20,9% WFH sometimes or usually in 2020 to

• 24,4% WFH sometimes or usually in 2021. 

In 2021, the usually only working individuals made just a little less than sometimes or usually in 2019 — 13% in contrast to 14,6%. Note that ’usually’ refers to at least half of the work days spent working from home in a reference period of 4 weeks.

The shift is evident in both the US and Europe — remotes were quick to adapt to the circumstances and increasingly function between the office and home, identifying as remote workers.

Let’s not forget that the covid-era introduced a new work-life cultural concept, ‘workation,’ that combines working and vacationing simultaneously. Therefore, it’s challenging to believe that trend swing will take the working world back to the close-to-none remote setup.

Remote work perspective

It’s worth defining the happy medium for understanding remote work. There are different opinions — for some, it’s home-only; for others — home-never. A hybrid work setup seems acceptable for most organizations and employees that can apply non-site work arrangements.

The perspective of hybrid model growth should double from 42% in 2021 to 81% in 2024, according to AT&T findings. The forecast predicts almost one in four Americans will work remotely by 2025.

The prediction is supported by the forecast of conferencing software (like Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet) market growth — in 2021, it reached $14.6 billion worth, and in 2026 is expected to reach as high as $27.3 billion worth. The growing demand shows the need to communicate remotely in the future.

Hybrid work influencing factors

What are the influencing factors for hybrid work escalations — is it just the peer pressure of employees? 83% of professionals say they would decline a job offer without offering flexible work options, according to International Working Group.

Expectations are high as almost everyone (97%) expects organizations to be flexible regarding the work environment. FlexJob indicates that more than half (57%) of organization members would change jobs if they weren’t allowed to work hybrid. After all, 77% of employees see flexibility as the second most important factor after salary in their employment.

The reasoning behind it can be based on preference to save time on commuting, make Mondays less anxious without knowing you must show up in the office at 8 AM, or work from a different city or country.  

Productivity and engagement in remote work

Hybrid or remote work help achieve a better work-life balance that resolves into a positive chain reaction. Employees and organizations notice that staff is exposed to less stress, leading to workers being more present and engaged despite online environments.

It proves that hybrid work isn’t entirely a one-way road. At first, being unavailable to observe employees’ activity on-site might have needed convincing the management of the hybrid work benefits.

According to Zippia’s Remote Work Statistics report, 32.2% of managers agree that productivity has increased after the 2020 remote work shift. Generally, 68% of organizations say there’s been an improvement in employee productivity since the remote work arrangements. 

Return or not to return?

The determination to work remotely is clear for most of the employees. Besides the long list of benefits the workers learned by heart, 20% of the workforce who vouch for flexibility would agree to give up vacation time over office-defined work.

The worth of remote work can be calculated more precisely — a typical organization saves an average of $11,000 per employee yearly if the employee spends half of the working time outside the office.

Saving funds and time open more personal, team, and company opportunities. Organizations have a better chance to scale globally. It brings us to a solution to a raging issue of limited talent pool companies struggle with significantly.

Talent and remote work

Knowledge workers are in high demand to cover the growing need for professionals in all industries. According to Uplers’ research, 69% of companies face a shortage of skilled talent, and geographic limitations are one of the leading factors reserving the reach of the potential talent pool.

According to the Upwork study, companies with remote or hybrid work policies appear to be less negatively impacted by talent shortage — only every third of such organizations see a limited talent pool as a challenge. Half of the knowledge workers who provide computer programing, IT, marketing, and business consulting services to companies are freelancers.

Regarding company size, large companies tend to have a higher demand for talent that turns over with more noticeable talent shortages compared to small or medium-sized companies.

According to Manpower data, 64% of small companies (10-49 employees) struggle to find the right profile workers, while 72% of medium-sized companies (50-249 employees) and 74% of large enterprises (250+ employees) are impacted by a deficiency of skilled professionals.

Remote work by industry

Technological advancements and flexibility allow companies of various industries to adopt hybrid work for its benefit. It’s noticeable that consulting-type services are quicker to move to telecommute. The trend can be justified by the opportunities to unlock markets worldwide, streamline the workload, and better prepare for modern technological setups.

Taking hybrid work through the industry axis, IT is the leading industry to adopt remote work. Finance, customer service, healthcare, marketing, education, and sales industries are primary areas to explore and utilize the benefits of the remote workforce.

Remote work and security

The massive migration to remote work during the pandemic was kick-started for safety reasons. However, home offices opened gaps for cybersecurity vulnerabilities that many companies weren’t exposed to before.

According to Statista, cyberattacks are one of the major risks concerning organizations. Cyber threats increased exponentially with the growing number of unprotected home networks and distributed teams.

The other top risks on the list include human error, cloud computing vulnerabilities, mobile device security, and loss of corporate data and information, as the concerns of organizations in Europe and the US.

Securing hybrid environments

Many organizations proved flexible in times of change — growing cyberattacks and risks were repulsed with security and hybrid work-adapted business solutions. Transitioning to cloud environments allow companies not only to enable remote workers but implement hybrid infrastructure models to support new ways of working.

Circumstances determined businesses’ push to improve network security even though upgrading existing legacy architectures wasn’t in the strategy.

During the later years, evolved Zero Trust security models now define modern remote access and cybersecurity standard. A combination of cloud application security, endpoint protection, and identity management solutions helps protect company assets and users effectively from potential vulnerabilities imposed by remote and hybrid work.

Hostinger is a hosting service provider for developers and their customers. With 1.2 million users worldwide and growing, the company works hard on improving customer support and continues updating its server technology for an even better customer experience. On the side, teams are fine-tuning home-designed hPanel, so the work there runs in a high pace environment.

To support business projects and a large customer base, Hostinger has several departments to maintain all the projects and services up and running. Therefore, originally based in Kaunas, Lithuania, the company now has an extensive team of over 1000 employees in 51 countries across the globe. Yet a large team brings its challenges in times of change. Egidijus Navardauskas, Head of Cybersecurity at Hostinger, gives his insider experience on their journey of implementing remote work in extreme situations.

The Challenge

Rapid organization onboarding to remote work during lockdown

Hostinger as most of the companies in the pre-pandemic time, lived a daily office-based life. However, it changed during Covid as all teams started working remotely and adjusting to the new way of living.

Once the lockdown period came into effect and workforce borders started expanding, the existing VPN solution limitations were revealed. It wasn’t initially built to scale sufficiently and provide a reliable VPN connection to handle the fast growth of remote employees in different countries.

The employee distribution and work from personal networks required the company to grant them a swift connection to internal resources. However, operational continuity was at high risk, and the current setup lacked role-based network access controls for maintaining security levels. 

The Solution

Replace the existing VPN with a more agile solution

The employees used to work from the office all the time, and only a part of the IT staff was using an internal VPN solution as there was no need for most of the teams to access internal resources after working hours. 

Transitioning from an on-site environment to remote work quickly can be challenging for any business. Especially in the case of Hostinger, which experienced a sudden necessity to change its work and infrastructure approach.

Ad-hoc tasks are difficult to squeeze into tight schedules even in extreme circumstances, so time management and efficient distribution of resources are crucial — choosing the right solution from the first shoot is critical.

Therefore, the journey from identifying the issue, selecting a solution, and making the delivery had to be well-organized and smooth.

Why choose NordLayer?

NordLayer provided an optimal solution to change the existing company VPN and seamlessly integrate it into the current infrastructure.

Even though the requirements for a new VPN were extended to establish remote connections of the worldwide-distributed high number of employees to organizational resources and provide secure identity management measures to the IT administrators. 

When selecting a cybersecurity solution, Hostinger usually uses a risk-driven approach, and of course, the solution has to fulfill requirements that are suitable for our company’s needs. Following the practice ensures the organization’s main security goals, which are confidentiality, integrity, and availability of resources and data. 

5 steps to onboard a global remote team overnight: decision-making process and proceeding with NordLayer

Clear steps and objectives helped Hostinger to optimize and streamline its process of problem-solving from understanding the current solution limitations — cannot scale with a growing team,  what are the desired results — provide network access controls, meet compliance and security requirements, and provide backup servers, to overviewing the plan and implementing to the whole organization.

The Outcome

Fast adaptation to a crisis with extended security outcome

The company achieved a remote work setup on time, so business and team productivity weren’t affected. It all happened while facing a global lockdown with time and human resources limitations.

Today, all Hostinger employees use the solution daily as the team works in a hybrid model. We utilize ten private virtual gateways for our company needs — all this just having NordLayer and a 5-people cybersecurity team.

Most importantly, Hostinger employees can connect securely to internal resources no matter where they are. Moreover, the IT staff can focus more on other projects rather than maintaining internal VPN infrastructure — the service provider is responsible for the maintenance of the servers, so it saves a lot of valuable time. 

Pro cybersecurity tips 

The pandemic may start feeling like old news at some point the more time passes by, yet it was an unusual situation that had effects on businesses that reflect up to this day and will stay relevant in the future, like teaching to react to extreme situations to keep businesses running. Even though not everything can be foreseen, thus it’s beneficial to have a strategy and a sound plan in place to be well-prepared.

It’s good to start even from small things — Head of Cybersecurity of Hostinger Egidijus Navardauskas shares his tips for business security:

Have you considered how your organization would hold if stress-tested? What would be the main impediments to securing business continuity? Even expected challenges can bring to light lacking security and adoption of implemented infrastructure. Therefore, it’s always worth exploring the possibilities and performing crisis drills even on paper — be ready to ensure teams and organization perforation despite the work setup, and reach out to learn more about a remote access network solution for modern companies.

Office 365 is a popular business platform worldwide. Its blend of collaboration tools, office apps, and cloud storage components makes Office 365 a go-to option for many companies. But the popularity of Office also makes it a popular target for cyber-attackers.

Securing data and protecting assets is critically important when using Office 365. This blog will discuss the major threats faced by users and we will suggest some security best practices. Office 365 is a safe place to run business operations. But you need awareness and policies to make that safety a reality.

How secure is Office 365?

Office 365 is a suite of cloud-based business tools. Like all cloud applications and platforms, Office is vulnerable to external attackers. Cyber-attackers can breach user defenses. They can access sensitive data, disrupt operations, and cause plenty of damage before they are stopped.

Security concerns are real. Up to 85% of organizations using Office 365 suffered an email data loss in 2021. 15% of organizations using the platform suffered more than 500 breaches in the same year. Just 4% of organizations not using Office 365 reported the same data breach frequency.

Microsoft has toughened Office security features in the past few years. However, Office 365 users still need to control their security posture. If you can find a secure configuration that meets your needs, you can use the platform safely. The first step in doing so is mastering the security features supplied by Microsoft.

Security features in Office 365

Users can access most Office 365 security features via the Security and Compliance Center on Microsoft Accounts. This cloud-based portal allows users to choose several critical security functions. These functions include:

1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Microsoft’s IAM solution lets you set up digital identities for all Office users.

Every user has a digital identity containing their authentication details and authorization information. This lets administrators add adaptive multi-factor authentication for all log-ins. Admins can manage passwords efficiently, onboard and remove users as needed.

IAM also allows you to manage authorization options for all users. Admins can set privileges based on roles or individual requirements. This limits app access to users with appropriate permissions. Unauthorized outsiders won’t be able to intrude.

2. Information security

With Microsoft Information Protection (MIP), users can manage data as it travels across Office cloud resources and even on remote work devices.

Users can classify data to ensure it only reaches authorized devices. Set different sensitivity levels to make data available or defend it as required.

Classification works alongside Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Microsoft Information Governance (MIG) tools. Create robust security controls for confidential data, and set lifecycle controls to delete data when it is not needed.

3. Threat defenses

Microsoft offers Office-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) features. Together, they neutralize cyber threats and track traffic to assess security weaknesses.

Azure Sentinel is a SIEM system that uses Artificial Intelligence to monitor the Office environment. Sentinel can track every active Office application and device. Security teams benefit from real-time visibility across the threat surface.

Azure Defender and Office 365 Defender are XDR tools. They extend threat detection to all endpoints, including email accounts and cloud applications.

4. Risk management

Office 365 includes a suite of tools to manage risks and ensure compliance. These tools identify and classify risks, focusing on data protection across an Office 365 environment.

Risk management tools allow security teams to assess insider threats, manage the risk of insecure communications, and fine-tune privileges for admin accounts. Audit tools let you drill down into compliance issues until every data security weakness is covered.

What are the most important Office 365 security concerns?

The security tools above are comprehensive and flexible. But they are generally voluntary. Users need to create their own security setup and choose measures that fit their Office implementation.

Office 365 leaves plenty of room for misconfigurations. And these gaps are the ideal space for attackers to work. Here are some critical threats for security managers to assess:

1. Credential theft and unauthorized access

Cyber attackers may gain access to your entire Office 365 environment if they steal user credentials. Users can leak credentials in many ways. For instance, employees could:

• Share information insecurely via Office collaboration apps

• Click on attachments that extract personal data

• Follow unsafe links in social engineering email messages

• Install malware onto a connected device

Credential theft is a constant security concern for Office 365 managers. Office does include multi-factor authentication, but MFA is not enabled as a default. Many companies forget to apply extra authentication and suffer as a result.

2. Unsafe privileges

According to Zero Trust principles, Office 365 users should have access to the resources they need and nothing more. Limiting access to sensitive data makes data extraction and loss less likely. Hackers cannot freely access data. Employees won’t be able to leak data during their tasks accidentally.

However, privileges creep can lead to too many people having access to too much data. By default, every Global Administrator Account has extensive privileges. Security teams need to restrict admin accounts manually. This potentially leaves scope to abuse access and steal data.

3. Data loss

Data breaches are a nightmare scenario for Office 365 managers, but they are possible without adequate security controls.

The major problem here is sharing. Office is built to enable information exchange. Workers share documents, conversations, databases, and much more. This is great at an operational level. But the flow of data is a security problem.

Data can leak via many storage locations or sharing tools. Employees may not know about data sharing risks or how to store data securely. And data can pass to unauthorized third parties without the knowledge of security teams.

4. Complacency

Many companies move from on-premises Office implementations to cloud-based 365 environments. While the applications are familiar, the security context of these two setups is very different.

Security managers may lack visibility of all cloud endpoints and in-use applications. They may lose sight of data containers or fail to turn on necessary security features. Sharing tools like SharePoint present new risks, such as allowing access for third-party guests. But these new risks aren’t always detected during cloud transitions.

Office 365 security best practices for business

What can businesses do about the security threats listed above? The answer lies in applying Office 365 security best practices. By following these security practices, you can enjoy the benefits of information sharing and keeping data safe.

1. Enable IAM

Access management is the top priority when securing Office 365 environments. Companies must create a secure perimeter and restrict access for unauthenticated users. Users should have the privileges they need to carry out work, but no more access than they require.

Office 365 has built-in IAM tools to control authentication and authorization centrally. Set conditional access policies for every role and back up password access with MFA technologies. Bring all Office 365 apps together via Single Sign On (SSO). This makes it easier for employees to manage passwords. It also simplifies access management for security professionals.

It is advisable to create separate user accounts for admins with elevated privileges. Every admin account requires maximum protection. Users should only use administrative accounts for specialist tasks, and rely on other accounts for everyday work.

2. Educate users to understand Office 365 security

Employees must know how to avoid phishing attacks. Build anti-phishing training into all onboarding processes and refresh this knowledge regularly. Workers should always be aware of dangerous email attachments and how to spot malicious links.

Users also require training in how to share information securely. Educate staff on how to use SharePoint and Teams without compromising security.

3. Collaborate securely

Education combines with robust collaboration app security to protect data in-transit. Install DLP systems to track sensitive files and ensure they stay within the network perimeter. DLP will alert managers if employees share critical data, and block any illegitimate transfers.

Set up Message Encryption on Teams and other communication tools. This protects the content of messages. Only authorized users will be able to read messages or open files.

Use Safe Attachments to scan all email attachments and shared files. Extend attachment protection to Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive so that all potential endpoints enjoy security coverage.

4. Put in place anti-phishing protections

Office 365 includes specialist tools to handle phishing attacks. These advanced threat protection tools go beyond trusting employees not to open malicious links. They actively inspect emails to detect malicious content.

For example, users can sandbox attachments automatically with Application Guard. This creates a protected environment to open pdfs or spreadsheets. Application Guard scans files to detect unsafe sources. This matters because Office files are common attack vectors. Sandboxing makes it much less likely that an innocent document will spark a security alert.

Safe Links is another useful anti-phishing tool that scans URLs to detect security concerns. And you can set “external” email tagging for inbound messages. This alerts users to be careful when opening external communications.

These measures do not remove all phishing risks. Zero-day threats are still an issue. But together, Application Guard, email tagging and Safe Links provide plenty of defense against social engineering attacks.

5. Use anti-malware solutions

When anti-phishing measures fail, malware protection tools enter the picture. Office 365 users should take advantage of Microsoft’s anti-malware tools wherever possible.

Implement SIEM protection via Azure Sentinel, and use XDR to scan all endpoints. These two tools work together to detect malware infections and quarantine affected files. This should neutralize ransomware attacks before they take down network infrastructure.

6. Strengthen your password policies

User access is the major Office 365 security weak point. And credential theft is the most common attack vector. Make it harder to mount credential stuffing attacks by enforcing strong password policies across all users.

Make sure Office users avoid real names and familiar words. Include multiple symbols and numbers, in combinations that are impossible to anticipate. Use password manager tools to store and update passwords. This reduces the risk of human error.

Generally, make sure users do not reuse passwords from other network assets. Every Office 365 user requires unique credentials, with no exceptions.

7. Strengthen data security controls

Employ MIP to lock down sensitive information and allow access to less important data. Office 365 lets you label sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII) and financial records. These labels enforce tools to keep sensitive data secure, such as encryption or watermarking.

DLP also allows you to track data movements and prevent data leaving organizational boundaries. This makes it easier to work remotely without creating additional data loss risks.

8. Check compliance and security scores

Data security measures aim to meet strict compliance goals. For instance, you may need to protect financial records to comply with PCI-DSS, or meet HIPAA rules when handling patient details. Microsoft has created tools to make the compliance task easier, so use them when available.

The Office 365 compliance portal provides guidance for meeting important regulations. It also includes a compliance score that charts your progress. Updated in real-time, the compliance score suggests required actions. It provides a useful road map to compliance across all Office 365 services.

Office also provides an overall Secure Score. This can be found in the Security Center, which records a percentage based on an organization’s security posture. Adding extra security measures boosts the score, and the system delivers recommendations based on your Office 365 setup.

9. Optimize mobile device security

Employees may use mobile devices to access Microsoft’s SaaS applications. This particularly applies to companies with large communities of remote workers or BYOD setups. In any case, it is advisable to implement Mobile Device Management (MDM) security solutions,

Office 365’s MDM tools encrypt confidential data on mobile devices. They can wipe data from devices in the event of theft. And they prevent network access for stolen or compromised devices.

10. Put in place rock-solid Office auditing

Be sure to enable the Unified Audit Log via the Office 365 Security Center. The UAL lets you track user activity across all accounts. You can see who is sharing information and how that information spreads across your cloud environment.

By default, audit logs provide 90 days of historical information, which isn’t that much. However, you can extend the scope of audit logging to as long as ten years if desired. Longer periods provide a better evidence base for compliance management, but you will need measures to efficiently store and search audit data.

Ensure secure access to Office 365 with NordLayer

Collaborate, strategize, and store data safely with our office 365 security best practices. On-board security tools and solid staff education let you use Microsoft’s business environment without creating unnecessary risks.

However, just relying on Office 365 controls is a risky move. That’s especially true for companies with hybrid cloud environments who manage multiple platforms and require secure access to SaaS apps. In those cases, it makes sense to apply enterprise-wide security solutions like NordLayer.

NordLayer’s IP allowlisting tools supplement Office 365 security controls. Admins can define a list of authorized addresses. These IP addresses are then permitted access to Office resources. Unlisted devices are excluded or require additional verification.

NordLayer encrypts traffic passing between employee devices and Office 365, countering man-in-the-middle style attacks. Threatblock also blocks malicious websites, reducing the risks posed by phishing attacks. Use Microsoft’s internal features to secure Office 365. But go further, integrating Office into your wider cybersecurity setup. To find out more, contact the NordLayer team today.

In the modern economy, around 75% of workloads have migrated to the cloud. Millions of workers use the cloud daily to send messages, develop code, and manage customer relationships. Cloud computing is convenient, flexible, and cost-effective. But relying on the cloud brings security risks.

Unsecured apps are vulnerable to external attacks, data loss, and infrastructure damage. One unprotected app can cause an enterprise-wide data breach. Fortunately, there are many ways to strengthen cloud security and make application usage safe.

This blog will explore cloud app security and the threats users face. You should find everything you need to know when securing critical cloud assets.

What Is cloud application security?

Cloud application security is a set of tools, policies, and procedures that protect information passing across a cloud environment. The aim is to:

• Create a secure environment and protect data on all cloud apps

• Manage cyber threats

• Prevent unauthorized access to cloud resources

• Ensure the availability of critical assets

Cloud application security covers popular platforms like Amazon AWS, Google, and Microsoft Azure. It also extends to individual SaaS apps hosted on cloud platforms. Collaboration tools like Slack or Zoom require specific security solutions. The same applies to cloud-hosted business tools like Salesforce or data storage services.

Do you need cloud application security?

Yes. Legacy network security tools cannot properly protect cloud assets. VPNs and firewalls can protect locally-hosted data and applications. But cloud apps are hosted by third parties. Users can access them from virtually anywhere via a huge range of devices.

Attack surfaces have become more complex as cloud apps have proliferated. Cloud endpoints cannot be secured by locally-managed hardware or encrypted network connections. Older tech plays a role, but new application security approaches are essential.

Cloud application security threats

The first step in securing a cloud environment is understanding critical security threats. Here are some of the most important cloud application security risks to factor into security planning.

• Misconfigured cloud apps – Gartner reports that as many as 99% of cloud security issues are due to client error. Cloud deployments are complex, and teams must manage a range of application configurations. Every SaaS app requires access controls and processes to guard against shadow IT. Getting app configurations right is essential.

• Account hijacking – Malicious attackers can hijack user accounts and infiltrate cloud-hosted apps. Account hijacking tends to result from poor password hygiene and credential exposure. Security teams must enforce strong password policies. Password managers make life easier for workers. Encryption keeps credentials private and secure.

• Phishing – Phishers persuade employees to provide access credentials. They may also entice users to click links that harvest private data. Security teams must train all staff and enforce responsible behavior.

• Automated attacks – Attackers may find vulnerabilities via scanning agents. Botnets target poorly secured cloud apps, taking down cloud resources via denial-of-service attacks.

• Buggy APIs – APIs connect cloud applications and users. They need to be secure at all times. The problem with APIs is that they are both feature and data-rich. One compromised feature could expose data inside the app for outsiders to harvest.

• Physical security – Cloud applications rest on physical hardware somewhere in the world. Cloud providers must protect hardware against theft and take measures to handle fire, extreme weather, and other sources of damage.

• Inadvertent data loss – Staff can accidentally delete data, change it irreversibly, or lose encryption keys. This places intact data out of reach. A comprehensive data backup strategy is essential.

Cloud application security best practices

Failure to deal with cloud security vulnerabilities can have serious consequences. Let’s explore some app security best practices to lock down critical assets.

1. Understand the threat surface

Robust cloud application security rests upon strong visibility. Total awareness of cloud workloads and device connections puts you in a good position to apply controls.

Create and maintain inventories of connected cloud apps. This inventory will form the basis for security measures later on. Trim the inventory regularly to remove any unneeded cloud apps. Try to keep the threat surface as small as possible.

2. Deploy identity and access management (IAM)

Every cloud application is vulnerable to credential theft. Enterprises must establish complete control over who accesses cloud apps. They must also define and manage user privileges.

Cloud-native IAM tools manage access by authenticating log-in requests. They compare login credentials with secure directories and ensure that only authentic users gain access. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds another set of time-limited and unique credentials.

After admitting users, IAM systems authorize their privileges. Privileges allow users to carry out core workloads and restrict access to other applications.

Developers can access the tools they need. Sales teams can access CRM databases and marketing assets. Every role is limited, but workers are free to carry out their duties.

Additionally, IAM applies Single Sign On. SSO creates a single point of entry to cloud resources. One cloud-based application provides access to all apps. There is no need to secure multiple cloud endpoints.

More advanced IAM tools actively check for unsafe credential storage. They alert security teams if staff store credentials digitally or share information insecurely. All these features enhance the safety of cloud applications.

3. Create a cloud application security strategy

Companies need cloud application security. This strategy should specify how to access cloud apps safely and how user identities are verified. Users should know what they need to do and what threat mitigation controls are in place.

Looking beyond security policies, security teams should have a clear plan to secure data on all cloud applications. This can be visualized on three levels to cover vulnerabilities:

• Platforms. Cloud infrastructure underlying can include exposed data files. If companies develop cloud infrastructure in-house, security staff must focus on correctly configuring platforms. Encrypting all data is advisable.

• Databases. Secure cloud databases with appropriate encryption and access controls. Assess the right authorization levels for every role. Workers should only have access to relevant data. All other information should be out of reach.

• Applications. Secure the attack surface by extending IAM to all applications. Check API configurations, and use any threat detection systems provided by app developers. Set up automated notifications about unusual access requests or network traffic patterns.

4. Use automated security testing

Testing is a critical aspect of cloud app security. It may be too late to detect and mitigate vulnerabilities when cloud apps go live. Instead, companies should switch from standard DevOps to DevSecOps (Development Security Operations).

DevSecOps includes automated testing systems that assess code during the development phase. Testing during the CI/CD process uncovers weaknesses before hackers have a chance to exploit them.

Testing should extend to open-source code libraries used to build cloud applications. It should also cover data containers and user-provisioned cloud deployments. Every part of the cloud environment is vulnerable.

Testing does not end after app provisioning. Enterprises must continuously test IAM systems to ensure the integrity of IAM processes. They should also test encryption tools. Keys may be exposed or out of date, creating inherent weaknesses.

Automation is vital. You can automate development and post-deployment testing to reduce security workloads and ensure regular results.

5. Focus on password hygiene

Companies need to drive home the importance of password hygiene. Access controls and encryption mean little if employees expose passwords to outsiders.

Stolen or hacked credentials are a major security weakness. Staff must use strong passwords and change them regularly.

SSO helps make this task more manageable as workers handle fewer credentials. Cloud-native password managers also automate password strengthening and password replacement.

6. Employ comprehensive encryption strategies

Exposed data is an easy target for hackers inside cloud perimeters. That’s why encryption is a critical component of cloud app security.

Encryption scrambles data, making it unreadable to anyone without specific encryption keys. There are three main ways to encrypt data on the cloud:

• Encrypting data at rest secures information stored by enterprises. This could include HR information or financial records. Companies can encrypt files, databases, and even cloud platforms. With more layers covered, hackers will struggle to access confidential data.

• Encrypting data in transit makes collaboration safer. Data constantly moves throughout cloud environments. Information passes from on-premises networks and remote devices to the cloud. Encrypting data as it moves protects against interception attacks.

• Encrypting data in use makes using applications safer. Employees may retain workloads in an open state for long periods. This leaves data vulnerable to interception and extraction. The use of encryption and tools like DRM makes in-use data less accessible.

7. Active threat detection

Monitor cloud applications in real-time to detect threats and protect data. User behavior patterns can provide clues about ongoing attacks. Access requests for sensitive files can generate automated alerts.

Security teams can use activity monitoring data to fine-tune privileges management. Monitoring data is also a valuable compliance tool, providing evidence of continuous security management.

8. Regularly patch software and apply system updates

Cloud applications require timely and frequent updates to keep pace with evolving threats. Codebase changes and new services constantly present new vulnerabilities and exploits for hackers to target. Automated scheduled updates neutralize weak spots as they emerge.

9. Proactive privacy and compliance policies

Data privacy is a central part of compliance strategies. Enterprises operating in the cloud face major regulatory challenges, including GDPR, PCI-DSS, or HIPAA compliance. Secure cloud apps to meet relevant compliance standards.

Security teams should build app security audits into their schedule. Check that apps and security controls meet regulatory guidelines. Include the development environment used to provision cloud applications and open-source libraries used by DevOps teams.

Use regulatory requirements as a framework to build effective controls. For instance, PCI-DSS compliance demands data encryption for financial records. HIPAA demands tight identity management and encryption of sensitive information.

Compliance strategies aren’t static. Enterprises should take a proactive approach when securing sensitive data, using regulatory frameworks as guides.

How businesses could secure their cloud applications

Legacy tools like VPNs have security limitations when guarding the cloud. Instead, using security tools that function alongside cloud application APIs is advisable.

IAM and SSO systems are essential components of cloud security strategies alongside data encryption and threat monitoring. Fortunately, you can source solutions that bring together core app security functions.

The two major options here are proxy or API-integrated Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs):

• Proxy CASBs route traffic through a separate proxy between user devices and cloud apps. Proxies usually employ HTTP and can intervene with traffic passing through cloud endpoints. The CASB applies encryption and tracks anomalies such as suspicious login requests.

• API-based CASBs do not require an extra layer of routing. These CASBs are built into cloud apps instead. This has many potential benefits, as well as some drawbacks.

Benefits of API-based CASBs include:

• Improved speed – There is no need to route traffic via a proxy. This boosts speeds and improves the user experience. Routing large amounts of traffic through a proxy may lead to performance issues as demands grow.

• Firewall interaction – API CASBs supplement existing network firewalls. They add cloud security features that protect data and monitor activity. Proxy CASBs damage performance by adding another security barrier alongside firewalls.

• Easy upgrades – Users must update CASBs as applications evolve. App developers often add or exchange protocols and authentication systems. But developers do not routinely alert CASB developers about needed upgrades. API-based tools are easier to patch as apps change. Over time, cloud apps will leave proxy CASBs behind.

• Better security – Proxy-based CASBs break TLS sessions to access the HTTP stream. They then reconstruct TLS protection to complete cloud access. Users trust their CASB to restore TLS sessions safely and reliably. This weak point can compromise the security of cloud deployments.

Major cloud computing providers like Google and Amazon recommend API-embedded CASBs where possible. This makes perfect sense in a fast-changing cloud application environment.

However, API-based CASBs may not work with all SaaS deployments. CASBs are often compatible with most but not all APIs. This can add complexity to cloud security architecture. Proxy CASBs can operate across different APIs, resulting in simple solutions.

Enterprises also need to be aware of problems surrounding CASBs. For instance, cloud infrastructure providers rarely inform CASB developers about platform alterations that cause security issues. Cloud platforms can change quickly. CASB vendors need to keep up with changes and plug any security holes.

This issue affects proxy CASBs more than API-based versions. API-based brokers integrate closely with apps. App developers tend to flag any API changes for CASB developers. As a result, patches appear in a more timely manner. Users can expect stronger security.

The shared security responsibility model

Before implementing cloud application security best practices, bring the shared responsibility model into the picture.

In cloud environments, cloud providers and users share responsibility for security. Responsibility levels depend upon your cloud computing setup and your choice of a cloud service provider.

Generally speaking, cloud providers like AWS or Microsoft Azure assume responsibility for protecting:

• The infrastructure stack (including hosts and data centers)

• Software required to host cloud applications and data

• Networking infrastructure connecting cloud apps

Clients must handle everything else. Responsibilities vary according to whether you choose IaaaS, PaaS, or SaaS deployments.

• IaaS – Infrastructure-as-a-service users have the widest responsibilities. Users must protect apps and data, as well as infrastructure. This includes middleware and can include the cloud operating system.

• PaaS – Platform-as-a-service users must protect any infrastructure they maintain, including apps and data hosted by their service provider. Any proprietary apps hosted by third parties remain your responsibility.

• SaaS – Software-as-a-service users are responsible for data stored or processed by cloud applications. The main security risks relating to SaaS applications are access management and encrypting sensitive data.

Shared responsibility model in practice

Getting the balance right when applying the shared responsibility model is all-important. A good starting point is assessing every cloud application.

It is critical to define the responsibilities of users and providers for each application. Be clear about internal security controls and what your provider offers. Write a clear description of who is responsible for securing each asset and how to ensure data security.

Regardless of the cloud model in use, users are always responsible for:

• Securing on-premises and remote access endpoints

• Protecting data flowing through cloud resources

• Managing access to cloud applications.

Bring operations and security teams together. Developers need to provision cloud services flexibly and quickly. Security teams must advise about how to calibrate those services safely.

However, cloud users aren’t alone. Cloud service providers realize the complexity involved in managing cloud application security threats.

Providers usually offer user controls within APIs to secure their apps. They may also offer monitoring and threat management functions. Always investigate and use available cloud-native security tools.

Enterprises can also request audit information from providers. This should include details about their security strategy. Compare the material provided with your service terms to ensure providers meet their obligations.

Cloud application security assessment checklist

Before we finish, here is a quick checklist of critical cloud application security measures:

1. Create robust security policies covering all cloud apps. Take into account private, public and multi-cloud environments. Consider how to secure remote workers. Include processes to onboard and off-board employees. And put plans in place to detect and mitigate data breaches.

2. Implement IAM for the cloud. Ensure users have the correct privileges. Keep in mind Zero Trust concepts and the principle of least privilege. Combine cloud apps with SSO and add an extra protective screen with MFA.

3. Train staff in cloud security awareness. Make sure staff is aware of data storage and password policies. Train workers in secure cloud application usage and ways to share data safely. Focus on the threat posed by phishing attacks.

4. Deploy cloud security controls. Protect endpoints with encryption and CASBs. For instance, cloud-specific controls like disabling SSH and SQL Server access guard against brute force attacks.

5. Check application configurations. Poorly configured cloud apps are a critical security threat. Enforce API protection policies to configure apps properly. Focus on potential malware injection sites to neutralize common external attacks.

6. Put backups in place. Store sensitive data and workloads on separate cloud servers. Backup server files to ensure smooth disaster recovery. Carry out regular restoration tests to make sure data is recoverable.

7. Update software when needed. Use automated patch management to update cloud applications and deliver patches to all worker devices. Test updates when possible before deployment.

8. Track threats and log incidents. Use automated threat scanning and activity logging. Cloud logging tools can organize and analyze complex data. Use this data to improve your security posture and provide evidence of compliance.

9. Apply data security policies. Put in place policies to encrypt data at rest, in transit, and in use. Check encryption keys are used safely, preventing exposure to external attackers.

How can NordLayer help?

Follow our cloud application security checklist and best practices to secure cloud environments. With the correct controls, enterprises can take advantage of cloud computing. Sound app security measures reduce costs and cut data loss risks.

NordLayer offers cloud security solutions for all digital businesses. Install IAM, MFA, and SSO to control cloud access and reduce the attack surface. Create encrypted connections between remote workers and cloud portals. And integrate client-side security controls with tools provided by CSPs.

Find a route to ironclad cloud security. Get in touch and discuss your security options today.