1 Executive Summary
The traditional definition of the workplace has changed considerably. No longer defined by fixed perimeters or borders, the new digital workplace is now wherever employees are – a single pane of glass that puts everything they need at their fingertips. The concept has developed from existing remote management and service desk tools. Several IT vendors now offer solutions that make it easier for organizations to manage the digital workplace from centralised delivery dashboards. While these provide convenience and efficiency, security risks that can arise from centralised delivery need to be mitigated.
Some solutions will have security and risk functions built-in, while others will integrate tools from third-party providers. The types of security risks that can arise from centralised delivery of digital workplace platforms include data theft, intellectual property (IP) theft, phishing attacks, malware and ransomware attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks and remote access attacks.
Remote working, which centralised delivery is well placed to enable efficiently, is becoming more commonplace but also pose risks to the organization. If end users are not monitored when accessing data and services held on-premises or in the cloud, data can easily fall into the wrong hands.
The challenge is for organizations to gain the business benefits of digital workplace while ensuring that current and future security risks are mitigated as far as possible.
