Is 2020 the start of permanent secure remote working?

Remote working was clearly on the increase before 2020 but has naturally peaked during national lockdowns. Up until the pandemic, however, full-time remote working was largely reserved for freelancers. Many employers allowed it some of the time, but few allowed it all of the time. Some did not allow it at all, mainly for security concerns. These are still very valid today.

The cybercrime landscape

Cybercrime appears to be a constant fight amongst businesses. It is probably impossible to say how much of this is attributable to the growth in remote working. It is, however, probably reasonable to say that formalized remote-working arrangements were less likely to have led to security breaches than informal ones.

This is simply because companies which were formally set up for remote working would probably have considered the security implications. By contrast, companies which just let employees “take a laptop home” or let them use their own computers for work, would have been far more exposed.

On that logic, it's hardly a surprise that the (literally) overnight switch to large-scale home working opened the door to cybercriminals. It is, however, clear, that most, if not all, companies have every incentive to address this.  They also have a fairly easy path to doing so, namely the use of third-party managed IT security vendors.

The shape of the future

Even after a 6-month trial, there are massive differences of opinion about the success or otherwise of home working. Some companies and organizations have been very public about the fact that they want their employees back at their desks as soon as possible.

Others have enthusiastically started moving to a remote-first model. Twitter for example, stated they will allow employees to work from home “forever” until it is safe to come back to fully functional office environment.

Others appear to be looking at a hybrid approach. It will be interesting to see if they are ever tempted into the fully-remote model.

The simple fact of the matter is that the financial incentives for moving to remote work are now greater than ever. Companies have had to invest in remote working infrastructure, including security. This means that they basically have a choice between maximizing their return on investment on this or continuing to pay commercial rents.

Opening up access to talent

Another factor to consider is that supporting remote workers could potentially give companies access to a far greater pool of talent. Concerns have been raised that this could be a double-edged sword. It is, however, questionable how valid these are.

The simple fact of the matter is that companies have had the ability to offshore literally for decades now. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Where it does work, it often works in both directions. In other words, it makes it possible for UK-based workers to work for international companies as well as vice versa.

What are the implications?

If remote working becomes a major part of the UK’s employment landscape, then there will be less need for people to live in cities. Some may choose to do so for lifestyle reasons, but others will move away. In fact, this is already happening.

This may hurt some city-based businesses. The flip side of this, however, is that it could encourage people to open new businesses in what were once unviable business locations. This could ultimately create a much more balanced economy.