Daniel Cooper streamlines businesses across the globe through the use of technology and automation 

Daniel Cooper is a former trader, programmer and serial entrepreneur who streamlines businesses across the globe through the use of technology and automation.

With a talented team of engineers, analysts and consultants working alongside him at  lolly.co (the digital transformation company he founded two years ago), Daniel is on a mission to help as many business owners as possible ride the wave of technology turning sluggish companies into fast-paced technology backed enterprises. From world-renowned accounting firms to London’s top-rated cosmetic clinics, the company’s consulting services extend across all business sizes, types, and industries.

When not running Lolly Co, Daniel can be found putting pen to paper to help entrepreneurs apply the principles of digital transformation within their own businesses in his book ‘Upgrade’ which will be published on Amazon in January 2021.

Here he writes about increasing security measures to keep businesses safe and protected as we adopt remote working:

​How to accelerate cloud migration for remote working without compromising data security

The Covid-19 pandemic has single-handedly disrupted the entire world of business, colliding with the job market and leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. To save what they could of the crisis, business leaders have taken shelter in remote working. Yet despite the opportunity working-from-home has provided, it has also served up a wide array of problems, too. Going remote relies not just on the adaptability of your workforce and your operations, but also on the cloud. This reliance, however, leaves your seemingly safe business open to a new breed of threats.

Cloud migrations are a fundamental step businesses need to take to conquer Coronavirus’ economic blow. This new business necessity, however, leaves many businesses vulnerable to cyber attacks as leaders’ technological know-how and operational adaptability are tested. The most damaging threats are cited as data leaks, breaches, and loss and can cripple a company just as much as the ongoing pandemic. To overcome the emerging cybercriminal threat and fast track the cloud migration process, businesses need to arm themselves with suitable technology. Protections that monitor data, connections, and users’ file access are now essential.

These protections include private VPNs, password managers, a zero-trust policy regarding file access, and physical 2FA keys.

VPNs are the most popular defence harnessed by business leaders. Virtual Private Networks navigate a private path for the migration of business data to the cloud during a cloud migration. This is a safe – and secure – passage as opposed to the data migrated through the internet. Online browsing activities are also bolted down against cybercriminals, protecting both business data and internet use.

That being said, the security provided by VPNs does not confirm the identities of those actually using the network. They don’t restrict access to it, either. To lock down against online threats, additional measures are required.

Password managers should also be considered. Not only can their introduction to a team streamline access to applications, websites, and files, eliminating the teething issues of remote working, they can also provide leaders with control of who accesses what. Passwords can be shared, changed, and taken away from individual employees as is needed. This provides complete security at the most basic level, protecting staff members.

Additionally, their functionality as password generators can ensure the passwords used are strong and secure. They are just one of the key tools in leading a business’s move towards remote working.

To further protect the password manager, extra protections should be utilised. Two-factor authentication can provide this security and further limit any risk of a breach. Also known as 2FA, this is a method of testing multiple pieces of information or ‘factors’ in order to confirm the identity of a user. Alongside passwords a physical device can be used, whether it’s a phone or a physical ‘key’, or a fingerprint or facial recognition scan.  It is an ideal option alongside VPNs as it can effectively limit user access.

Physical 2FA keys can also eliminate cyber threats associated with poor password hygiene. Passwords are an obvious target for cybercriminals, but the keys produced by a wide range of firms, such as Yubico, can lockdown password managers and limit access to individual employees.

Moreover, the use of a zero-trust policy is helpful in bolstering the security of this access. Easily accessible data is one of the main causes of cyber attacks, which can result in harmful data leaks and violations. This is why a direct-to-cloud strategy gives firms the ability to prevent unauthorized sources from accessing data, as well as allowing them to have full command over their IT environment.

This therefore gives administrators the ability to oversee and control what information each individual user has access to. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) adheres to a number of principles, which include making sure that resources can only be accessed on a per-connection basis; ensuring secure connection with private applications regardless of where a user is based; and guaranteeing that administrators are able to view all traffic passing to and from applications.

Zero-trust policies effectively combine all security measures necessary for cloud migration. This makes sure that only specific users can access certain data, all the while ensuring operations run smoothly and securely.

These measures all comply with the basic rules of information security, offering protection against potential attacks on data and cyber threats, as well as assisting with cloud migration. Through the implementation of essential security measures across all levels – from ensuring employees use secure passwords, to the tighter restrictions on and monitoring of who has access to information at the highest levels – you can ensure that cyber breaches and data loss can be completely avoided. As well as making sure that the in-person data to cloud migration process is easy and well protected, these security measures also allow for high flexibility and scalability.

An example of this is the ability to increase employee access to specific information, such as documents and passwords, in response to roles and responsibilities being changed and then decrease the access when needed.

It is important to take a multi-faceted approach to any business data protection process, as each different measure has both potential benefits and issues. Regardless of whether employees are working in an office block or an apartment block, increasing security measures keeps businesses safe and protected in all areas. As attackers turn their attention to the cloud – due to the vulnerabilities intrinsic to cloud migration – the importance of data protection strategies will become increasingly apparent.”

To book a call with Daniel Cooper go to: https://calendly.com/daniel-cooper-lolly-co/