To the Endpoints and Back

A Guide for Protecting Employees and Company Data in

Remote and Hybrid Work Environments

cyberfortress.com
855-223-9322
sales@cyberfortress.com
Endpoint Backup and Recovery E-Book | 062022 2

Introduction
In an Owl Labs survey of 2,050 full-time workers in the U.S, nearly
70% of respondents said they worked from home during the peak
of the pandemic in 2021. Post pandemic, over 90% said they expect
to continue doing so at least one day a week, with 80% anticipating
three days. What’s more, 84% feel continuing to work from home will
make them happier, and roughly a quarter added they’d even take a
10% pay cut for the privilege.

You can’t ignore the will of the people. Remote and hybrid work
is here to stay.

But while these models have successfully kept business up and

running, they’ve opened a can of worms when it comes to IT and
cybersecurity issues, ones that can just as easily bring operations
to a grinding halt. Plus, the use of work and personal devices outside
the firewall, connecting to company networks with lax home
security, allows for easy outsider access, malware infestation and
data breaches.

Perhaps not surprisingly, findings from a PC Matic survey of nearly

6,000 employees show that as threats climbed throughout 2021
— ransomware attacks alone increasing an astonishing 437% — the
massive new remote workforce was a prime target.
Endpoint Backup and Recovery E-Book | 062022 3

Let’s Back It Up
An endpoint is any digital device — PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone — that enables
access to a company’s network. Conversely, they provide entry points for bad
actors to exploit if not protected properly. Well-intended employees, simply trying
to get their jobs done, continue to be the greatest threat due to lax security.

The problem is, home networks are often insecure, with software updates and
patches far out of date. Employees may also use personal devices that lack
standard features like email filtering, encryption and firewalls. Multiple people,
such family members, may share machines, and some may not be savvy enough
to avoid threats like phishing. Amidst this all, IT and security teams lack insight
into what’s happening, raising the risk that hackers will gain access to company
networks without being noticed.

And, of course, with more remote/hybrid workers, network boundaries and attack
surfaces are greatly expanded, making enterprises more vulnerable than ever.

Finally, employees working outside the office almost always store critical
information on their local machines. That’s low hanging fruit for hackers, and,
cyberattacks aside, devices that are lost, stolen or broken can cause irrevocable
data loss — unless endpoint data is protected.

So it’s not only important to cover your endpoints, it’s vital to back that data up
and be able to recover it quickly.
Endpoint Backup and Recovery E-Book | 062022 4

Covering Your Ends REST Assured

Exchange Online does provide archiving, so you might be tempted to rely
on that. First off, remember that archiving isn’t a backup. It’s an immutable
1 copy of certain email retained for long durations of time. Same thing goes
for Legal Holds in Exchange Online.
Your first order of business should be to figure out where to store remote/
hybrid backups. If you’re backing up a lot of end-user devices and bringing
that data back on-premises, there are two things to keep top of mind.
2 First, there’s a limited pipeline when it comes to bandwidth, and home
users typically have only basic connections. If they’re working with large
data sets, continually bringing volumes of remote user data into the data
center will slow performance for everyone. Second, when workers use
personal devices, adding software backup clients could raise some thorny
3
privacy issues that could cause major headaches.
For peace of mind, many organizations enlist managed services providers
(MSPs) to handle endpoint protection. They remove complexity, deliver
purpose-built solutions, enabling IT to focus attention on other areas.
MSPs have extensive disaster recovery (DR) expertise and have
performed many complete failovers - a critical area most internal IT
teams have little experience with. And with Veeam Software estimating
downtime costs at $1,467 per minute and $88K per hour, that recovery
experience is critical.
If you’re wondering what capabilities to look for in a MSP solution, start by
remembering the acronym, REST:
Recovery: Be sure you’re able to recover data from anywhere to
anywhere in case an employee’s machine is lost or beyond repair

That said, there are several ways to cover endpoints on both company and Ease: Look for simplified management and self-service recovery
4 employee machines: options for employees

Company Devices: There are endpoint protection products on the Security: Insist on military grade encryption and customer-controlled
market, and though it may require significant time and effort to deploy security keys
and configure each machine, the data will be safe.
Troubleshooting: Require access to live customer support 24x7
Employee Devices: If employees use their own machines, switch
to remote desktops. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) has
matured and now offers reliable performance. Some platforms can
be configured so remote users can’t store data on their machines,
instead moving it behind the company firewall. And because many VDI
solutions don’t require a client, you can provide remote workers with
credentials so they can use any device – just make sure you’re using
multi-factor authentication.
Endpoint Backup and Recovery E-Book | 062022 5

To the Endpoints and Back

The good news is that it’s never been easier to protect and recover data from
laptops, desktops and other devices from anywhere. CyberFortress Endpoint
Backup & Recovery is that easy to install and manage solution, ideal for remote
and hybrid environments.

It features an intuitive remote console for optimum management ease.

It protects data with AES-256 encryption and security keys controlled by
customers. If issues arise, you can count on reaching a live, human expert to
address it quickly.

Further, the versatility of CyberFortress Endpoint Backup & Recovery makes it

an ideal solution for businesses of all sizes:

Small Office: Your business depends on data in employees’ workstations.

CyberFortress makes it simple for non-technical employees to install,
manage, protect and recover it.

Small-to-Mid-Sized Business (SMB): Lost and damaged machines don’t

have to mean lost data. Protecting all your endpoints with CyberFortress
means you can recover to another workstation or server with ease.

Mid-Sized Enterprise: Protect the date of employees working remotely and

on the road with this easy-to-install, simple to manage solution. And with an
intuitive self-service option, employees can perform simple recovery jobs
on their own, without the assistance of IT.
Endpoint Backup and Recovery E-Book | 062022 6

Enforced By The
Recovery People
CyberFortress’ greatest strength is its people. From
mobile to mainframe, our comprehensive services are Did You Know?
enforced by highly-trained experts, and access to a
real human for support, 24x7. Another device often exploited by hackers is the home
printer. While WiFi printers have numerous features to
facilitate printing, they can introduce security gaps. What’s
more, remote workers typically don’t utilize secure shredding
Have questions? Want to speak to an expert? services, and printouts can be lost, misplaced and stolen,
Click here and we’ll arrange a call so you can get further raising risk.
the answers you need to protect your company
from the endpoints and all the way back!

Get Started
Endpoint Backup and Recovery
The Five Deadly Sins of Remote Security
Home security is often lacking, creating gaps that can offer hackers a
pathway into network resources. Review the five deadly sins of remote
security below to see how they get in – and how you can stop them.
Insecure Home Devices: Remote employees often use personal
1 Password Fatigue: Employees have so many passwords that
devices with outdated security that creates vulnerabilities and
risk. Also, these are typically not as protected as corporate ones,
and security features most employees think are there might
not be. Companies with healthy cybersecurity often use virtual
private networks, single sign-on solutions and encrypted tokens.
WiFi Weakness: Companies often forget about the security
2
of employee home WiFi networks, in fact, many are wide
open to hackers. This is because home WiFi routers are being
overlooked, when they require updates and maintenance like
any other hardware. Remind employees to change the default
WiFi password and to continue changing it regularly. Also, the WiFi
network name should be anonymous, particularly for remote
workers in heavily populated areas.
E-Book | 062022 7
3
Lack of Training: Most malware and other hacks are the result of
phishing. These attacks use email to prey on people’s fears and
fool them into giving up login details or downloading malicious
software that opens up access to the device. These emails are so
sophisticated they make it past corporate email filters and are
difficult for employees to spot. Train them on how to detect and
avoid phishing emails.
4
they often store them in less-than-secure places, or, use the
same ones repeatedly. Create password policies, including
banning personal details from appearing within these - which
hackers can unearth online - and put a stop to repeat usage.
Consider using a password manager to help remote employees
store and reduce overuse of passwords.
5 Sharing Without Encrypting: Just as there are encryption
policies for stored data on networks, it should be encrypted as it
moves between systems. This includes third-party cloud file-
sharing services and email, which remote employees often use
for sharing sensitive information. Ensure they use services with
built-in security and that email goes through the VPN, which will
likely offer end-to-end encryption.
To the Endpoints and Back
A Guide for Protecting Employees and Company Data in
Remote and Hybrid Work Environments

cyberfortress.com
855-223-9322
sales@cyberfortress.com