Organisations in India are witnessing a significant increase in cybersecurity challenges amid the shift to mass remote working, according to a recent report.

Cisco's Future of Secure Remote Work Report based on a survey of over 3,000 IT decision-makers globally, including over 1,900 respondents across 13 Asia Pacific markets, including India found that 73 per cent of organisations in the country have experienced a 25 per cent or more jump in either cyber threats or alerts since the start of COVID-19.

Additionally, many Indian organisations were unprepared to make the accelerated transition to a remote workforce at the outset of COVID-19. About two-thirds (65 per cent) of organisations adopted cybersecurity measures during COVID-19 to support remote working.

Vishak Raman, Director, Security Business, Cisco India & SAARC, said, “With users connecting from outside the corporate walls, secure access – defined as the ability to verify identity and establish trust no matter how, where, or when users log in, is the top cybersecurity challenge faced by the largest proportion of Indian organisations (68 per cent) when supporting remote workers. Other concerns raised by organisations include data privacy (66 per cent) and protection against malware (62 per cent).”

One trend that emerged in recent months is that a hybrid workplace – where employees move between working remotely and in the office – is the future.  Over half (53 per cent) of the organisations in India said they expect more than half of their workforce to continue working remotely post-pandemic. This compares to an average of just 28 per cent of organisations with more than half of their workforce working remotely before the pandemic.

The good news is that as businesses prepare for this hybrid workplace, cybersecurity now tops corporate priorities, with 84 per cent of organisations in India saying that cybersecurity is now a top priority for them. What is even better is that they are translating this into concrete action. The study highlights that 77 per cent of organisations in the region plan to increase their future investment in cybersecurity due to COVID-19.

Follow and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter for latest HR news and insights.