5 tips for securing work spaces in a mobile work environment

This article is sponsored by Citrix

For millions of employees, work time used to mean sitting behind a desk with a desktop computer and a monitor. That image often no longer fits as employees can work from a tablet on the train, a laptop at home or even from a phone when they are at a restaurant or a child’s soccer game.

While this new flexibility and mobility can be convenient for workers and employers, it also raises critical concerns.

“As government agencies focus on Digital Transformation they are using more and more cloud services. Each cloud service can have separate login processes, manual configurations, even with FedRAMP, inconsistent application of security controls, and a loss of control over the apps and user experience.” explains Jose Padin, Director of Engineering for Citrix’s US Public Sector team. “This problem is being referred to as cloud service sprawl.”

The potential for sprawl is even more critical when the work is for government agencies or private contractors working on important government projects. Here are some steps organizations can take to prevent some of the more common issues.

Create a secure work environment

Creating a single aggregation point that allows users to log-in once and access any cloud or on-premises IT service is one of the first steps to building a secure digital government workspace. This helps prevent constant security changes and upgrades that would otherwise be needed every time a worker added a new device.

At the same time, a secure digital workspace accounts for the fact that today’s workforce will be accessing information in a variety of ways and methods and protects against outside security threats.

“If you’re going to play in the internet-of-things arena, security can’t be a one-and-done proposition,” notes the Federal Trade Commission.

Embrace cloud systems

Sometimes organizations attempt to eliminate sprawl by trying to prevent employees from using and accessing cloud systems. While such an approach might work for a time, it is ultimately doomed to failure. The cloud is not going away and employees will eventually connect to it simply because that is the way they know how to do things.

A better approach is to have a secure digital workspace where it does not matter what type of devices are being used or where employees are accessing information.

Acknowledge cloud sprawl 

Cloud sprawl is a natural effect from having distributed cloud systems. Even with a single cloud service provider, it can be difficult to prevent cloud sprawl because the scope of the problem can constantly expand whether your organization uses one cloud or 10; 100s of servers or 1,000s of servers. As Cloudsprawl.net explains, with the cloud, people can continually ramp-up products and services, creating cloud sprawl even within one cloud service provider.

Improve system efficiency

For agency IT departments, keeping track of system usage and security is a constant challenge. A secure digital government workspace allows leverage of embedded analytics to give an agency accurate and timely security and usage information.

Gain control

Digital-first trends in government IT tend to distribute IT services across many clouds and vendors. Agencies are often working with public clouds, private clouds and a wide range of cloud-based software and apps. At the same time, agencies are trying to comply with federal security mandates like FedRAMP, the NIST framework or the executive order on cybersecurity.

A secure digital workspace adds a layer of risk protection and control that is context aware that simplifies the process of compliance and security.

While government agencies need to be at the forefront of IT development, cybersecurity and risk management, many are unsure how to modernize and mobilize security within their organizations. Some also struggle to comply with changing regulations and mandates.

Citrix can help solve these problems by helping organizations implement a secure digital workspace that adapts to changing technology while protecting against today’s cyber threats.

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