The way we work has changed. Almost five years on from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, data shows that 28% of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid working in the autumn of 2024. That means laptops travel between offices, homes, and coffee shops. Phones double up as work devices. Staff connect from wherever they are – often outside the safety of company networks. While this flexibility is great for productivity and staff morale, it also introduces a serious problem: unsecured devices.
Every device your team uses, whether it’s a personal tablet, a mobile phone, or a work laptop, is a potential entry point for cybercriminals. And they only need one unlocked door to get in.
The risk is no longer confined to your office firewall. It’s in pockets, backpacks, and home Wi-Fi networks. That’s why securing every device matters more than ever – and why having a reliable plan for secure data backup and recovery in Essex is essential to staying protected.
What Makes Unsecured Devices So Dangerous?
Most cyber threats don’t need a grand entrance – they thrive on the quiet gaps in your defences: an outdated operating system, a phone without a passcode, or a laptop connected to public Wi-Fi.
The danger lies in how easily business and personal use blur, which is why 49% of CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) cite hybrid and remote employees as the top source of security risk. Staff might check work emails on their personal phones, download files onto home devices, or share login credentials without thinking twice. Each of these actions creates a weak spot.
Once a device is compromised, it’s rarely just that device at risk. Cybercriminals use it as a stepping stone for moving across your network, accessing cloud accounts, and copying sensitive data without detection. It’s not just about the device; it’s about everything connected to it.
Consequences of Letting Your Guard Down
Many small and midsized businesses assume they’re too small to be targeted. In reality, attackers often look for the path of least resistance – and that usually means businesses without proper device security like endpoint protection.
When one device goes unprotected, the consequences can be far-reaching:
- Data Breaches Become Instant Headlines
A compromised laptop or phone can expose sensitive customer information, internal documents, or financial data, instantly breaching client trust and damaging your reputation.
- Operational Disruption Is Inevitable
Cybercriminals may use ransomware to lock you out of your own systems. You can’t process payments, access records, or communicate with your team. Productivity grinds to a halt.
- Financial and Legal Repercussions Follow
- GDPR compliance issues – You’re legally obligated to report data breaches.
- Potential fines – Serious breaches can lead to fines of up to 4% of annual turnover.
- Recovery costs – IT recovery, new hardware, and lost work hours add up quickly.
- Long-Term Trust Takes a Hit
Customers expect their data to be protected—and once that trust is broken, it’s difficult to restore. In fact, 64% of Britons say they’re unlikely to trust a company with their personal information if it’s been breached in the past.
The 5 Commonly Missed Devices That Still Need Protection
When people think about cyber security, they often focus on work laptops and desktop computers. But attackers know the real weak spots are usually the devices we forget about; the ones that slip through the cracks of standard IT policies.
Here are five devices that are often overlooked, yet frequently hold or access business-critical data:
- Personal Smartphones: Used for work calls, emails, and app access, yet often lacking basic protections like strong passwords or remote wipe capabilities.
- Home Wi-Fi Routers: In remote setups, unsecured routers are an easy backdoor into corporate systems. Many still run default passwords or outdated firmware.
- USB Drives and External Storage: Convenient for transferring files but also easy to lose or compromise. A single infected drive can introduce malware across your network.
- Printers and Scanners: Modern office printers are smart devices. If connected to your network, they can be targeted to intercept scanned documents or expose login credentials.
- Shared Family Devices: Staff working from home might log into work accounts from shared tablets or family laptops. These devices often lack business-grade security controls.
Securing your main office PCs isn’t enough. To truly protect your business, every connected device needs to be accounted for, no matter how small or ‘harmless’ it seems.
Protecting Every Endpoint Without Overloading Your Team
With the right approach (and a bit of help from the right IT support partner), you can protect your business without piling more pressure onto your team.
- Use Mobile Device Management (MDM)
MDM software helps you monitor, secure, and manage work phones, tablets, and laptops – even if they’re outside the office. - Enforce Strong Password Policies and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Passwords alone aren’t enough. Combine them with MFA for an extra layer of defence on all devices. - Stay on Top of Updates and Patches
Unpatched software is one of the easiest ways in for cybercriminals. Automated patching tools can keep everything up-to-date without manual effort. - Require Secure Connections
Encourage (or require) team members to use VPNs when working remotely. It keeps data encrypted and harder to intercept. - Monitor Devices with Endpoint Detection Tools
These solutions watch each device for unusual behaviour – like malware activity or attempted access to sensitive files – and flag issues fast.
You don’t need an in-house IT department to make this work. A managed service provider like Virtual IT can handle the day-to-day security, giving your team peace of mind while keeping your business protected.
Why Backup and Recovery Must Be Part of the Picture
Even with strong device security, no system is ever 100% breach-proof. That’s why having a reliable backup and recovery plan is just as important as prevention – it’s your safety net when things go wrong.
If a device is lost, stolen, or infected with ransomware, a secure backup means you can restore critical data and get back to work quickly. Without it, recovery becomes expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes impossible.
Secure data backup and recovery in Essex isn’t just about convenience; it’s about resilience. Whether you’re dealing with accidental deletions, corrupted files, or full-scale cyber incidents, having a robust and tested backup solution in place means you can bounce back with minimal disruption.
And don’t forget: backups only count if they work. Regular testing, encryption, and off-site or cloud-based storage are all essential parts of an effective strategy.
Secure Your Devices, Safeguard Your Business
In a world where work happens anywhere and on every kind of device, protecting just your office network isn’t enough. Every laptop, phone, or tablet connected to your business has the potential to be a risk or a line of defence.
Securing these endpoints, combined with a strong backup and recovery plan, gives you confidence that your business can operate safely, no matter where your team works from.
Remote or in-office, we’ll help you stay protected. Let’s talk.
