Step into a world where the traditional office is a relic of the past, and remote work has become the norm. The symphony of clinking coffee mugs and buzzing photocopiers has given way to the quiet hum of Zoom calls and the occasional barking dog in the background. It’s a world where the boundaries between work and life blur, and the office, once a physical space, now has transformed into a digital nowhere.

In this brave new world of work, Julia Hobsbawm stands out as a sage of the modern workplace. Her book, ‘The Nowhere Office,’ offers valuable insights on navigating this new way of working for leaders and employees. 

‘The Nowhere Office’, a term coined by Julia Hobsbawm, reflects a shift in the modern workplace. It shows that today’s workforce can adapt and be productive without traditional office constraints. It promotes flexibility and efficiency while still valuing physical spaces for collaboration and growth.

Julia Hobsbawm is a British award-winning writer, speaker, consultant, Bloomberg commentator, and columnist about the future of work. The author of the acclaimed book ‘The Nowhere Office,’ she was also the founder of the US-led Workforce Institute and now co-hosts the popular podcast ‘The Nowhere Office.’

To mark the launch of NordLayer’s Global Remote Work Index 2023 tool for exploring the best countries for remote work, join us in a conversation with Julia Hobsbawm as we explore the heart of ‘The Nowhere Office.’ Here, the future of work unfolds, and the old rules don’t apply anymore.

At a glance: insights from this interview

• Remote work & productivity: remote work balances between isolation and collaboration. For some, it’s a choice for creativity; for others, it’s essential due to necessities like child care.

• Evolving workplace dynamics & trends: daily office routines feel outdated. The rise of ‘The Nowhere Office’ and hybrid models highlight changing dynamics.

• Technology & future of work: technology’s efficiency and scale are unparalleled. However, issues like privacy breaches and trust erosion can surface without ethical checks.

• Leadership in a changing landscape: modern leaders should prioritize active listening. Decisions based only on shareholder demands or peer practices can become misaligned with ground realities.

Work engagement & well-being

NordLayer: How does remote work contribute to enhancing productivity and well-being? Can you also address the misconceptions surrounding well-being in the workplace?

Julia Hobsbawm: The topic of remote work is multifaceted, especially when discussing its impact on social connections and well-being. Critics of ‘the Nowhere Office‘ concept often highlight social isolation and loneliness, arguing for the advantages of full-time in-office engagement.

Remote work isn’t merely a case of isolation versus collaboration. Some individuals seek quiet, creative spaces away from office disturbances. Others have obligations like child care, which make remote work not just preferable but essential. Flexibility, or what I prefer to term as ‘movement flexibility,’ is more apt than ‘hybrid’ in describing this paradigm.

Well-being at work goes beyond the simplistic binaries. It encompasses what I label ‘social health’: how we connect with colleagues, build communities, and foster supportive systems. Physical and mental health rooted in nutrition, sleep, and other factors also play vital roles.

A pressing issue, often sidelined in discussions on workplace well-being, is the toxicity of certain environments. A toxic workplace is characterized by poor leadership, office politics, unmanageable deadlines, and inefficient systems.

Addressing these issues is vital instead of merely branding well-being initiatives as solutions without understanding their depth. In my view, the pandemic has highlighted people’s profound commitment to their work.

Around the globe, pride in one’s job isn’t restricted to specific roles or hierarchies. From Japan’s broad societal work ethic to individual aspirations, there’s a universal yearning to perform excellently. ‘The Nowhere Office’ is a call for change, seeking to cultivate environments that nurture pride, passion, and exceptional performance.

Evolving workplace dynamics & trends

NordLayer: In your Bloomberg column, trends like “quiet quitting,” “great resignation,” and “career cushioning” emerge. Could you provide more insight into these concepts in the context of evolving workplace dynamics?

Julia Hobsbawm: Historically, and research backs this, companies founded before the year 2000 often have leadership resistant to new workplace methodologies. There’s a discernible pattern where such organizations, predominantly led by men from a certain age bracket, resist adapting to these shifts.

Tools like Zoom showcased during the pandemic that profound connections can be made remotely. It’s a testament to human adaptability that we can feel connected, even intimately, through digital mediums. Even professionals in psychotherapy have found virtual communication to be surprisingly effective.

The key lies in discerning when physical presence enhances productivity and when it doesn’t. Take multinational companies, for instance. Their diverse geographical operations don’t necessarily dilute company culture. There’s a need to dispense with traditional benchmarks when determining the necessity of physical presence in offices.

However, it’s essential to remember the power of in-person interactions. Just as diplomats highlight the importance of “smelling the room,” and gatherings ranging from global conferences to cultural festivities emphasize the value of personal interaction, businesses should recognize the essence of shared experiences.

The rigid expectation of daily office presence for the sake of visibility, water cooler conversations, or prolonged meetings seems outdated. The increasing acceptance ‘The Nowhere Office’ concept, with a trend toward hybrid models, underscores the shifting dynamics.

The widespread adoption of schedules where employees come in three days a week suggests that these ideas are gaining traction. I’m hopeful about this progressive change and the direction in which we’re headed.

Technology & future of work

NordLayer: In a nutshell, how do you see technology shaping the future of work in terms of opportunities and challenges?

Julia Hobsbawm: I think we’re moving generally into a hyper-surveillance culture. From the automation introduced by Henry Ford’s assembly line to today’s AI-driven applications, technological innovation is part and parcel of our evolution. However, the conundrum arises not from the technology itself but from its human applications and interpretations.

We’re at a pivotal point in history where technology offers unprecedented efficiency, convenience, and scale opportunities. Yet, without ethical guidelines, it can be misused, leading to issues such as breaches of privacy and the degradation of trust in professional relationships.

The challenge is striking a balance between embracing these advancements and respecting the human elements of work – autonomy, trust, and dignity.

We must recognize that while technology can provide tools to enhance our capabilities, the bonus lies in employing these tools ethically and humanely. It’s not about resisting technological change but channeling it in a manner that respects and uplifts human dignity and well-being. Our choices, priorities, and values in this tech-driven era are the true challenge.

Leadership in a changing landscape

NordLayer: Finally, what qualities must leaders develop in the changing work landscape, and how should leadership evolve in remote and hybrid environments?

Julia Hobsbawm: At the heart of the evolving work landscape, leaders need to embrace the role of an active listener. Making decisions based purely on shareholders’ demands, the practices of other companies, or unrealistic timelines can lead to strategies that are detached from the realities on the ground.

A discerning leader listens, synthesizes the information, and communicates horizontally and vertically within the organization. For instance, if feedback suggests a strategy will take longer due to post-pandemic employee lifestyle shifts, a leader acknowledges this and adjusts accordingly.

We are navigating a transitional period. While the past may have seemed more structured – everyone commuting and adhering to routine schedules – the current landscape is fluid. This transition has amplified our emotional intelligence as workers.

For leaders, it’s about fostering an environment of mutual learning and understanding among these varying generational viewpoints. While it’s undeniable that we’re in challenging and complex times, I remain cautiously optimistic. The path might be bumpy, but with adaptive leadership, better days lie ahead.

Thank you.

From zero to hero

If you have an office-based, hybrid, or even a 100% remote team – any way of working – have you considered making it more secure and fully enabled to achieve its real potential? Reach out to the NordLayer team and discover an easy and effective secure network access solution for your company.

There was a time when on-premises hardware took care of your company’s cybersecurity. Most workers heard there was some kind of firewall behind those server room doors but never got to see it. Now, these rooms are getting smaller, and there are fewer and fewer doors to open. 

Today, hardware-heavy businesses are steadily declining while the on-cloud sector goes the opposite way. This doesn’t come as a surprise, given that buying solutions from the vendor is cheaper and doesn’t require a significant IT workforce. Following the trend, we at NordLayer further expanded our cybersecurity feature selection with a Cloud Firewall.

While we already had options like ThreatBlock or Deep Packet Inspection Lite (DPI Lite) next to the VPN, Cloud Firewall will further strengthen your multi-layered network protection. Also, let’s not forget that a firewall is a must for Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Security Service Edge (SSE) frameworks.

Whether you’re moving to the cloud or looking for ways to strengthen your company’s cybersecurity, continue reading to learn how NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall can assist.

Cloud Firewall solution using NordLayer

NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall is very easy to deploy as it doesn’t require extra hardware that would also need constant supervision. That means you won’t have issues integrating it into your existing network and fitting the company’s infrastructure. In fact, the whole network access management process becomes streamlined and effortless.

As noted earlier, you can install a firewall on your hardware, choose a cloud-based option, such as NordLayer, or use both options. The Cloud solutions are also known as Firewalls as a Service (FWaaS). They require no local hardware—just a web-based Control Panel for controlling access to your data.

Benefits of Cloud Firewall VPN

NordLayer’s FWaaS can benefit you in many ways beyond firewall protection. Here are just some of the examples.

Granular network segmentation

The main benefit of NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall is granular network segmentation. It means you can choose which departments, teams, or employees can access particular in-house resources. This makes creating new workflows easier and existing business processes more secure.

Moreover, network segmentation reduces the attack surface inside the organization. It’s always easier to detect a possible threat in a subnet compared to the whole network.

Let’s also not forget about the increased performance. The bigger the network, the higher the risk of a slowdown. With network segmentation, you’ll avoid bandwidth throttling because one subnet’s load won’t affect the other.

Centralized security

The firewall is on the cloud, meaning it can easily protect both your office and remote workers. That means it works both for your cloud and on-premises environments. The same applies to enforcing policies on all endpoints.

Centralized security means that your IT admins have more control over network security. What’s more, they can customize security controls for each segment.

One control panel to rule them all

One of the main goals of NordLayer is simplicity and ease of use. That’s why we put all controls in one panel without cluttering it. Even if you’re not an IT expert, you’ll be able to create new rules, which will be automatically applied to anything added to the Gateway.

And in case there was a rule for one employee only, it will automatically become disabled if the worker is removed from a Team. However, if you decide to remove a Gateway or a dedicated server, you’ll have to turn off the firewall first.

Optimized maintenance

Cloud firewalls are easily updated, and the process can be automated. There’s no need to visit every office with a server to install the latest firmware updates and patches.

Increased speed

Traditional firewalls are not always ready to handle cloud applications and may require extra expenses for them to work. In contrast, NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall won’t become a choke point in your network.

And the best thing is you won’t be sacrificing security for the sake of performance. It’s always easier to avoid bandwidth throttling when you have your network segmented.

Flexible scaling

No need for extra hardware means your Cloud Firewall will expand together with your business. And this can happen without overly complicating the process.

A new department in your company? Simply add another rule for them. With NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall, you can focus on your business instead of worrying about its cybersecurity.

Additionally, it doesn’t matter what kind of work model your company uses. NordLayer fits in-house, cloud, and hybrid environments. So, if you’re planning to switch from one to another in the near future, you don’t need to worry about changing your firewall.

How does NordLayer’s FWaaS feature work?

NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall works a bit like a border guard, scanning incoming and outgoing data packets. It checks if you can pass the border into a specific country.

Just like a firewall examines the content of the data packet, the border guard inspects your ID to see if it’s really you and whether you’re on a list of allowed travelers. But how does that actually happen?

The first and most important step is configuring the firewall according to your business needs. That means creating rules defining who will access which resources and who will be blocked. A rule can be applied to the whole company or just one employee.

When it comes to traffic destinations, your Cloud Firewall can work with standalone IPs, IP lists, or entire subnets. These options give you the freedom to customize to your heart’s content.

Once you’re past this stage, the only thing left is enabling NordLayer’s Firewall, which in turn starts filtering data packets passing through the gateway.

Now, no matter your or your employee’s location, this Cloud Firewall will protect your company as the bouncer protects the nightclub by doing face control. He won’t let the dodgy-looking fellas in and won’t explain the reasons why. And you, as the club manager, can overrule the bouncer’s decision anytime.

You can also customize NordLayer’s Firewall to fit your company. No matter if your workplace is on-site, hybrid, or remote – you’ll still be getting top-notch threat prevention and access control.

What’s more, you don’t have to be an IT specialist to tweak your Cloud Firewall. You can apply different rules to your employees right in NordLayer’s Control Panel. No more financial data for Mark? Bam, it’s done. Sales team newbies need access to Salesforce? Bam, it’s done.

How to use NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall?

This section describes the key actions you can take with our FWaaS without needing an IT specialist. We’ll look at Default Firewall Action, creating new Firewall rules, and managing rule hierarchy. We also want to remind you that if you’re having trouble with any of the steps, contact our 24/7 customer support – they will be glad to help.

What is a Default Firewall Action?

Default Firewall Action controls what happens to the traffic when it does not meet any of the firewall rules defined by the organization. However, new employees who are yet to be assigned to a Team won’t see any Virtual Private Gateways, just the shared ones. This means neither firewall rules nor the Default Firewall Action applies to them.

There are two Default Firewall Actions available:

• Allow. The firewall allows all network traffic by default unless a rule prohibits the traffic.

• Deny. The firewall disallows all network traffic by default unless a rule permits the traffic.

This means you can’t have both actions active, just like the border guard can’t let and not let you through at the same time.

Creating new Cloud Firewall rules

Firewall rules are the backbone of the firewall itself. Without rules, the Cloud Firewall is basically not doing anything. So, your first step should be deciding on the exact policies and the resources or services you want to have controlled access.

Creating a new rule starts with naming it, followed by choosing the traffic source. It can be any traffic from any Team or a specific Team or employee. When you have the traffic source set, you can determine the traffic destination.

Once again, it can be any network address or a custom one. You can choose from predefined addresses or a new entry.

Finally, you get to define network services such as protocols and ports. Each new rule is added to the top of the priority list. Rule priority can be adjusted by dragging and dropping separate rules.

NordLayer’s FWaaS statuses and rule hierarchy

As mentioned above, firewall rules have a hierarchy that helps control your network. So when a firewall sees that the traffic meets the criteria of a certain rule, it ignores the others with lower priority.

Every rule can have one of the three statuses – Enabled, Disabled, or Deleted. All are self-explanatory, but the latter status will change only when you apply the rule changes.

NordLayer’s FWaaS vs traditional firewall

Traditional firewall requires you to have the necessary hardware in your office. Then, you need IT managers to install the firewall, maintain it, and extend its coverage.

This can be a good option if you don’t have remote workers, including yourself. But that’s highly unlikely, isn’t it? In contrast, as the name implies, NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall is deployed in the cloud and efficiently protects your workforce around the world. Moreover, this helps to cut your cybersecurity costs.

Also, if you’re working with cloud-based services, there are no extra investments to protect the remote workforce. Since the firewall is virtual, it stands between the user and the service. If you had an on-premises firewall, a remote worker would need to backhaul the traffic to the hardware infrastructure first, which is neither easy nor practical.

Should you get NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall?

Gone are the days when cybercriminals would target only big corporations like Google or Amazon. According to IT Governance, more than 40% of data breaches and ransomware attacks hit SMBs, and over 50% of companies plan to increase cybersecurity spending (IBM). The most targeted industries are Manufacturing, Finance & insurance, and Professional business & consumer services.

In short, every company that uses the internet should get a solid firewall. And if at least one employee will work remotely, a cloud version is the easiest and cheapest path to enhanced cybersecurity. For that, we recommend NordLayer’s Cloud Firewall.

Our FWaaS gives you IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS app protection, granular access control, and secure packet filtering. It combines well with DNS filtering by category or our DPI capabilities. Managing and centralizing your network won’t be a trouble, and when your business is ready to scale, your Cloud Firewall will follow side-by-side.

FAQ

What is a cloud firewall?

A cloud firewall is a specialized security solution designed to restrict unauthorized access. Unlike traditional firewalls operating on-premises, cloud firewalls are situated and managed within the cloud. This modern firewall deployment approach is often called Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS).

What is the difference between a cloud firewall and FWaaS?

All Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) are cloud firewalls, but not all cloud firewalls are FWaaS. Cloud firewall protects cloud-based resources by restricting unauthorized access. FWaaS delivers these capabilities as a managed service, eliminating the need for on-premises hardware or dedicated firewall appliances.

What is the difference between a cloud firewall and a hardware firewall?

A cloud firewall, such as NordLayer FWaaS, operates in a cloud environment, focusing on data-centric protection strategies. In contrast, a hardware firewall is a physical device that guards the perimeter of a local network, using both hardware and software to filter and monitor incoming and outgoing traffic.