It’s tough to say what’s more important: protecting data or keeping employees productive. The truth: They’re both essential to business resiliency and continuity, so must be considered in tandem.
However, hybrid work models have challenged IT’s ability to do both. Employees use a variety of devices in multiple locations, and connect to applications that are hosted in the cloud, data centers, co-location facilities – or a mix. Securing endpoints in this perimeter-less environment, while also ensuring a productive employee experience, can be daunting.
Organisations can better address endpoint security with an integrated security stack. And it should start with the procurement process.
The need for a strategy shift
“Today, the procurement of PCs is split from security-related purchases,” said Jonathan Gohstand, Director, Technical Product Marketing at HP.
In other words, one person buys the PC, then hands it over to security personnel to add policies and controls.
“That needs to change,” Gohstand said. “Every PC or endpoint purchase decision should be a security decision.”
This strategy not only integrates security from the start of the device lifecycle, but also improves both end-user and IT professional productivity. For example, many organisations have over the years cobbled together or bolted-on security in a reactionary fashion, thereby increasing the burden on IT staff to manage highly complex environments. This complicated stack can also slow down employees who have to jump through multiple access hoops for various applications.
“Businesses understand they need to change their approach to cybersecurity, but they also need streamlined architectures that deliver the functionality their workers want within a secure environment. Both of these requirements can be met with security built into each device they deploy,” Gohstand said.
Consider the operational reality
There are several factors to consider in the shift to built-in PC security, such as risk management, operational efficiency, the user experience, and ability to achieve desired business outcomes.
“You have to focus on the operational reality of scaling security with the IT team and budget you have,” Gohstand said.
That reality includes ongoing IT operations — tech deployments, policy updates, ongoing security hygiene, and end-user support — which also affect the employee experience and their ability to be productive.
“It’s not about how fancy your algorithm is,” he said. Some people might be hoping that artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, for example, will magically determine the right security policies or controls for their business. And it could be that AI will help set the context, however it’s too soon to tell, Gohstand said.
Instead, concentrate on use cases first, he suggested. He offered the example of a company that took a different angle on lifecycle management: Rather than using a service to wipe devices at end of life, they found a lower cost technology alternative and invested the savings in enhanced firmware level controls.
Next steps
When you’re ready to make every endpoint procurement decision a security-related one, consider devices such as PCs and printers with HP Wolf Security baked in. The solution integrates essential security right into the hardware.
For example, it includes threat containment functionality enforced at the CPU-level that provides “inherent protection” against phishing and ransomware attacks. Also, HP Wolf Security built into printers can monitor the device for anomalous behaviours and provide self-healing capabilities. These features improve security and allow employees — both end users and IT teams — to focus on their work.
Organisations can gain control of their endpoints and improve productivity for the hybrid workforce with an integrated security approach. Learn more by visiting HP Wolf Security.
HP has several exciting events coming up this year – click on each to learn more.
- Official CIO Summit UK presents the best opportunity to hear how your peers are tackling the biggest challenges in the UK IT industry. (This event takes place in September).
- The CSO Security Summit, scheduled for November, is the best place to hear what novel approaches and innovative technologies your security peers are taking to enhance and futureproof their security strategies.
