Securing distributed infrastructure: Remote work raises cybersecurity concerns

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• February 7, 2023

Insight summary

As modern collaboration technologies promote the adoption of an ever more remote and distributed workforce, information technology (IT) can no longer be centralized in one area or building. This shift makes it difficult for IT departments to protect company systems and supply chains. In light of growing cybersecurity threats, IT professionals are working to find new ways to secure their remote workforce and external infrastructure.

Securing distributed infrastructure context

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns showed that the walled design of business networks is becoming irrelevant. With remote workers and bring-your-own-device (BYOD), not everyone can stay inside an enterprise system. A scattered or distributed infrastructure has resulted in security teams having a much wider and more diverse security network to monitor and protect, making the task harder but not impossible. The tools needed for this transition have changed, as have how IT teams deploy, monitor, and update these tools.

According to Jeff Wilson, a cybersecurity analyst at technology research firm Omdia, there was a massive increase in online network traffic in 2020, with more people working from home and using digital services. This surge in traffic created a need for improved security measures at all levels, from cloud data centers to the edge. And as of 2023, threat levels remain significantly higher than pre-COVID levels as cybercriminals take advantage of remote work vulnerabilities. 

These vulnerabilities were introduced after the global pandemic when, overnight, companies had to send their employees back home, most of whom had not previously worked remotely. Virtual private networks (VPNs) had to be quickly installed and expanded to protect these new environments. This transition also attracted more web fraud attacks and a considerable increase in ransomware (from 6 percent in 2019 to 30 percent in 2020).

Disruptive impact

Securing a distributed infrastructure involves a new model, where instead of employees going into secure systems, security has to go to the employees' workspace. According to TK Keanini, Chief Technology Officer at Cisco Security, Zero Trust systems were primarily an academic idea before the pandemic. Now, they are a reality. This architecture is a new way forward because, in the new Internet paradigm favoring networks, identity must now replace perimeters. Zero Trust involves the highest form of identity authentication, essentially trusting no one.

Nonetheless, there are several ways that enterprises can implement security across separate systems. The first is detailed asset management, where firms take an inventory of all their devices and equipment, including which systems operate on which cloud platforms. This task includes using an application programming interface (API) to list all the available devices and an agent-based system that provides a software inventory for each device. 

Another heavily used technique is regularly patching and updating operating systems and software. Many attacks begin with an exposed user endpoint. For example, somebody brings their work device (e.g., laptop, phone, tablet) outside of the office and gets targeted or compromised by an attacker. To prevent this, patching for user endpoints should become part of daily life (part of the security culture). Furthermore, patching solutions should be versatile enough to cover all potential entry points. Third-party apps are often left unpatched, making them a common target for attacks.

Implications of securing distributed infrastructure

Wider implications of securing distributed infrastructure may include: 

• Companies and public services increasingly adopting a cloud-native system to outsource security updates to cloud providers.


• Remote workers increasingly using multi-factor authentication, combined with tokens and other biometric identification, to gain access to systems.


• Increased incidents of cybercriminals targeting remote or distributed employees, particularly for essential services.


• Cyberattacks becoming less focused on monetary gains but on disrupting services and testing new ways to overtake security systems.


• Some businesses opting for hybrid cloud solutions to keep some sensitive information and processes onsite.

Questions to consider

• If you work remotely, what are the cybersecurity measures that your company implements (that you’re allowed to share)?


• What are some ways that you protect yourself from potential cyberattacks?