A remote working report launched by Lisburn based tech firm ActionPoint has revealed that 68 per cent of those surveyed would like to continue to work from home at least two days per week once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
The IT services and software development firm which also has offices in Dublin, Limerick and Galway, conducted a survey of over 80 companies in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland on how organisations and their workforce were adapting to remote working as a result of Covid-19.
Speaking on the results of the report, ActionPoint CEO David Jeffreys said that although remote working sounds straight forward, there is more to it than technology and there are some major security concerns to be addressed to make remote working sustainable long-term.
He said: “Fewer than half of organisations polled had a remote working policy in place but an impressive 78 percent of respondents rate their organisation’s ability to work remotely as good or very good. This underlines the agility and adaptability of SMEs across the island of Ireland in embracing the new work environment.”
However, the report also revealed that a major gap in IT Security exists among businesses with only 41% of respondents using multi-factor authentication and less than half (47%) use phishing protection. A massive spike in phishing emails and hacking related breaches since April means that businesses must be more vigilant than ever in securing their online data.
Commenting on the importance of cyber security standards for business, David said: “Because of Covid-19, there is worldwide recognition that people are working from home. To cybercriminals, this means that there are millions of sitting ducks. It’s vital that organisations protect themselves against potential phishing and hacking attacks and adopt effective measures to protect their data.”
Other interesting findings were the top three benefits of remote working cited by respondents, which included time saved on commute, having a more flexible schedule and additional time with family.
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