Remote cybersecurity concerns and labor shortages are front and center in a new small business report

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Over the past year, COVID-19 has transformed the mode radical enactment and socialize connected abbreviated notice. While businesses person reopened amid wide vaccination efforts, surging cases spurred by the delta variant adhd uncertainty to semipermanent pandemic recovery. On Wednesday, Verizon released the results from a caller survey, detailing sentiment among concern leaders astir the economical impacts of COVID-19, labour shortages, web information successful the property of distant enactment and more. 

"There is inactive a agelong roadworthy up for betterment but determination is an overwhelming consciousness of optimism; that exertion volition alteration the competitory borderline our customers request to standard their concern for the future," said Sampath Sowmyanarayan, main gross serviceman for Verizon Business, successful a blog station astir the findings. "As our customers participate their adjacent signifier of growth, exertion that addresses security, reliable connectivity and enables mobility volition beryllium integral to their success."

COVID concerns and concern optimism

After a twelvemonth of layoffs, historical unemployment and economical uncertainty, companies person accrued hiring successful caller months. Compared to past August, 53% of respondents said the "state of their business" is somewhat oregon overmuch amended disconnected and 68% judge their institution "will beryllium amended off" successful a twelvemonth than it is astatine the moment, according to the report. Despite this optimism, companies are inactive acrophobic astir the economical interaction of COVID-19 connected tiny businesses.

SEE: Security incidental effect policy (TechRepublic Premium)

In August 2021, 90% of concern owners and decision-makers said they were precise oregon somewhat acrophobic astir the interaction of COVID-19 connected tiny U.S. businesses, a 2% alteration from August 2020, per Verizon. Year implicit year, responsive sentiment astir the coronavirus and related effects connected the U.S. system remains virtually unchanged, decreasing 1% implicit this clip period.

Virtual collaboration and cybersecurity

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, companies astir the globe shifted to distant enactment virtually overnight and these caller operations presented caller logistical and information challenges for concern leaders and IT teams. In the past year, galore decisionmakers person implemented caller information (38%) and virtual collaboration tech (38%) and astir one-third said they'd "temporarily closed to let for transitions to caller systems oregon ways of working."

In caller months, a string of high-profile cyberattacks has reverberated crossed captious aspects of U.S. infrastructure, bringing conversations astir web information beforehand and halfway for concern leaders. When asked to see however their concern plans to "move forward" successful the months ahead, 44% of decisions-makers said they were acrophobic astir "ensuring the information of institution networks and machine systems" successful August 2020, and this fig jumpered to 52% successful August 2021, per Verizon. Concerns astir ensuring online and integer transactions information likewise accrued from 43% successful August 2020 to 52% successful August 2021.

As portion of the distant workday, galore employees are present logging connected via their location networks utilizing a mixed container of idiosyncratic and institution devices, perchance expanding cybersecurity risks for employers. Nearly 7 successful 10 concern decision-makers (72%) somewhat oregon powerfully agreed that moving from location has "increased the imaginable for cybersecurity threats" astatine their institution and 68% powerfully oregon somewhat agreed that distant operations led their institution to "implement caller cybersecurity practices and policies," according to the report.

SEE: How to negociate passwords: Best practices and information tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Many decision-makers had already taken steps to buttress web information oregon were presently successful the process of implementing these strategies oregon readying to bash so. This includes purchasing oregon upgrading antivirus programs (54%), requiring login MFA (50%), evaluating oregon enhancing web information practices (49%) and employees grooming astir the champion cybersecurity practices, per Verizon.

Great Resignation and labour marketplace

In caller months, determination has been overmuch treatment astir a Great Resignation of sorts arsenic workers leap ship amid a choky labour marketplace and myriad deal-sweeteners to question employment elsewhere. When asked to deliberation astir the impacts of the coronavirus since past August, 49% of decision-makers said their institution had "challenges hiring caller employees to capable unfastened positions" and 46% said they "lost employees oregon had challenges retaining apical talent," according to the report. About one-third (30%) said they'd "implemented caller systems oregon exertion to compensate" owed to idiosyncratic shortages.

Also spot

• WFH is simply a cybersecurity "ticking clip bomb," according to a caller report (TechRepublic)
• Security threats connected the horizon: What IT pro's request to cognize (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
• Checklist: Securing integer information (TechRepublic Premium)
• Cybersecurity and cyberwar: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic connected Flipboard)