HP Inc (NYSE: HPQ) on Thursday at its Amplify™ Partner Conference unveiled the HP Wolf Connect, an IT management connectivity solution that provides a highly resilient and secure connection to remote PCs, enabling IT to manage devices even when powered down or offline.
Global Head of Security for Personal Systems, HP Inc, Dr Ian Pratt said: “Hybrid work has made remote management at scale more complex, yet more essential. The cloud has helped but hasn’t solved IT’s ability to manage devices that are powered down or offline. HP Wolf Connect’s highly resilient connection opens new doors to remote device management, enabling efficient and effective management of dispersed workforces”.
HP Wolf Protect and Trace with Wolf Connect is the world’s first software service capable of locating, locking and erasing a PC remotely, even when it’s turned off or disconnected from the Internet. This capability protects sensitive data on the move and helps lower IT costs by reducing the need for PC remediation or replacement.
Securing and managing the hybrid workforce is a top priority for organisations. New global research from HP Wolf Security found 82 percent of security leaders operating a hybrid work model have gaps in their organization’s security posture. The global study of 1,492 security leaders found:
- 61 percent say protecting their hybrid workers will get harder in the year ahead.
- 70 percent say that hybrid work increases the risk of lost or stolen devices.
“IT teams need a better way to deal with the increase in lost or stolen devices. Before today, solutions relied on PCs being on or connected to the internet, but HP Wolf Connect now provides a highly resilient mobile connection to find, lock, and erase lost or stolen devices even if they are disconnected or powered down.
“This is particularly crucial in industries where devices may contain PII (personally identifiable information) or intellectual property. By adding Wolf Connect to HP Wolf Protect and Trace, teams can accurately report where and when devices were lost, and how long it took to lock or erase them”, Pratt said.
Securing the endpoint is ground zero for attacks on hybrid workers
Beyond PC loss and theft, the endpoint i.e., laptops, PCs or printers – continue to face serious threat from ransomware and is ground zero for attacks on hybrid workers. This requires the creation of new cybersecurity strategies and innovative security tools in response to changing employee behaviours.
- 84 percent of security leaders say the endpoint is the source of most security threats and where the most business-damaging security threats happen.
- 66 percent say the greatest cybersecurity weakness is the potential for hybrid employees to be compromised; with phishing, ransomware, and attacks via unsecured home networks cited as the top risks.
- 65 percent say it is challenging to update their threat detection measures (e.g., Endpoint Detection and Response and Security Information and Event Management tools) to reflect the behavior of hybrid employees, making it harder to spot attacks.
- Three-quarters (76 percent) of security leaders agree application isolation is key to protect hybrid worker devices, but only 23 percent are benefiting from using it at present; with 32 percent planning to deploy in the next 12 months.
“The shift to hybrid work requires a move away from old perimeter-focused thinking. To close gaps, organizations must put the endpoint front and centre of any security strategy. Adopting hardware-enforced security features and protection above, in, and below the OS – such as application isolation – will be key for protecting users without impinging on the freedoms that hybrid work allows”, Pratt further said.
Hybrid work security is a key focus for 2023
HP’s new hybrid security research details how security teams are prioritising securing the hybrid workplace:
- Four-in-five (82 percent) security leaders have increased their cybersecurity budget specifically for hybrid workers. 71 percent expect this hybrid investment focus to increase further in 2023.
- 80 percent have deployed a different set of tools and policies to protect hybrid employees.
- 70 percent are limiting network access of people working remotely to minimize the risk of a breach.
To learn more, download HP Wolf Security’s latest report for IT decision makers and for Security Leaders.
Methodology
HP surveyed more than 1,492 IT and security leaders in hybrid organizations globally across 5 markets (US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan) in July-August 2022. All are decision makers for endpoints, network, cloud, or privacy management, and oversee or manage a cybersecurity operations team and/or IT hardware and software within their organization. Hybrid organizations are defined as having a range of employees who either work in the office, work remotely or a mixture of both.
