COVID-19 affected almost every aspect of our lives in 2020, including throwing just about every prediction for 2020 right out the window! The fact is that COVID-19 brought changes that will likely have a permanent impact on our work lives for a long time to come.

Here are some key trends we expect to see in 2021:

• The Changing “New Normal.”

COVID will continue to impact our lives, businesses, and society in the coming year. Because it will likely be a changing scenario, we will need to be prepared to adjust to a series of “new normals” in response. 

The rush to remote work that we saw last spring means organizations will need to continue to improve the security of their cloud deployments and new “distributed networks” to keep data safe and secure. This means automating enforcement and threat prevention at all points of the network.

• The Quest to Fill IT Expert Skill Gaps.

Many companies are having a hard time finding skilled IT experts to fill in-house cybersecurity openings in a time of accelerating threat volume and sophistication. Businesses of all sizes will be turning to outsourced security to keep important data safe from breaches, malware, blackmail, and other intrusions. This is a proactive move that can make sure your business remains safe and monitored by professionals.

• 5G Challenges and Benefits.

The totally connected, high-speed world we've been promised by 5G also means that criminals and hackers will have new opportunities to launch attacks and cause disruption targeting increased connectivity. From e-Health devices that collect user's data, to connected car services that monitor user's movements, to smart city applications that monitor how we live our lives, this massive amount of always-on data will need to be protected against theft. Especially as much of this data will bypass corporate networks and their security protections.

As the threat landscape continues to shift and new trends emerge, organizations must adopt a proactive IT security approach rather than maintaining a reactive response to keep their business and critical data safe.

Want to learn more? Call one of our experts today and ask about our Managed IT Services. We are ready to help and work every day to protect businesses just like yours!