Everyone’s WFH. What Does That Mean for No Pants DevSecOps? by Caroline Wong

Working from home means more than only worrying about what shirt you wear for video conferences. It also changes how we lead. Caroline Wong, a security expert and CSO, talks about the critical changes that need to happen in order to keep organizations secure, safe, and healthy after shifting to a remote workforce. In order to keep continuity, we need to lead as a team.

Part of keeping everyone safe is planning for failures. This means recognizing the points of failure and making contingency plans. One of the most important steps in creating any disaster recovery plan is cataloging your software. Your software should be cataloged along with criticality and contingency plans in order to keep the business alive.

Increase Awareness

Part of keeping everyone safe is making sure they’re well. When people get stressed, they might make decisions without thinking things through. In this state, they might click nefarious links in emails, get goaded into a battle with a customer, or even fall prey to bad actors. Making sure people are well is as important as keeping the technology in shape.

Be Aware of Surroundings

Any time you’re working in an environment with other people, you should be sure to take certain security precautions. Locking your laptop screen before walking away, for example, is the best way to make sure your dog or child doesn’t accidentally wreak havoc on your work.

Keep Current

It’s as important to use secure passwords as it is to use safe internet protocols. WPA2 and closed SSID broadcasting are essential to protecting sensitive work information when working from home, but they are things that most people might need a little help to understand. Be there for them, and make sure to keep people aware of the latest protocols and how to ensure they’re meeting the current standards.

Also, be sure to update your software and OS in order to keep up with the latest security patches. Most good software will also add features that will make your experience better in addition to safer. The best practice for organizations is to use management tools to keep everyone’s computer up to date. However, not every company has the capability to do this. Keeping employees informed about updating software and providing support for doing the updates is better than nothing. 

Strategic Takeaways

It’s a brave new world out there. In this world of change and remote working, few things are certain. What we can be sure of is that people will continue to learn and grow. Although it may look different in the future, keeping people safe, secure, and healthy is as important as ever. The strategies laid out by Caroline Wong are designed to help organizations around the world do just that!

This post was written by Phil Vuollet. Phil leads software engineers on the path to high levels of productivity. He writes about topics relevant to technology and business, occasionally gives talks on the same topics, and is a family man who enjoys playing soccer and board games with his children.

Photo by visuals