A data breach costs companies about $4.24 million on average per incident. To protect against these threats, companies use operational security. This process identifies and secures sensitive data to keep it safe from hackers or unauthorized access. One essential tool for operational security is a VPN.
By establishing a private, secure connection between a user’s device and the internet, VPNs prevent hackers from accessing private information. This blog will cover the basics of operational security, explain the role of VPNs, and show how PureVPN’s white-label VPN can help businesses improve their security.
What is Operational Security (OPSEC)?
Operational security is a way for companies to keep their sensitive information safe from all kinds of threats. It’s more than just using strong passwords or firewalls. OPSEC takes a big-picture view of security, examining everything from employee behaviors to how data is stored to make sure no information is at risk. If there’s any area where data could be exposed, OPSEC identifies it and finds ways to secure it.
Breaking Down Information Types in OPSEC
In operational security, data is divided into two types:
Critical Information
This is the most valuable and sensitive information a company has. It includes things like customer contact details, financial records, or intellectual property (like secret product designs). If this information were exposed, it could seriously harm the company financially or damage its reputation.
Non-Critical Information
This would be information that, in itself, doesn’t appear important, such as meeting notes by an employee or a supply list for a product. But put together with other data, this could yield a precious insight into the operations of a company. For example, minor details may provide clues regarding product designs or customer details.
Why OPSEC Matters: An Example
Let’s look at an example. Imagine a tech company working on a new product design. They keep the main design files protected, but hackers manage to access meeting schedules and supply lists. By piecing together these smaller, non-critical details, hackers might figure out what the company is working on. They could leak this information, damaging the company’s reputation, or pass it to competitors, hurting the business.
With OPSEC, the company could protect both the design files (critical information) and seemingly minor details (non-critical information) that could reveal valuable insights when combined. OPSEC helps prevent the smallest details from being used to harm the company.
OPSEC’s Role in a Business
Operational security goes beyond simply securing data; it’s about protecting the whole way a business functions. OPSEC includes procedures that cover how employees handle data, where and how data is stored, and which activities could expose sensitive information. Many companies have security operations centers (SOCs) that use OPSEC practices to monitor, detect, and respond to threats. The goal is to make sure all parts of the company stay safe from risks.
Core Components of Operational Security
It involves steps in operational security necessary for an organization to identify and manage its potential risks. Each one of these steps is working together to keep sensitive data out of various threats. Here’s a breakdown of those core steps simplified:
Identify What Needs Protection Most
The first step in this process involves identification by the companies of the information that is sensitive and of high value, such as customer payment details, employee records, or project plans. This helps the company understand what critical information needs protection.
Identify Possible Threats
This involves the identification of possible threats to such crucial data. For example, homeworkers put the organization at a high exposure especially if they hook their laptops on unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots. Phishing emails or malware or an employee’s error leading to leakage of data is also other forms of threat. These are known to identify such threats that the organization will be able to plan and prepare for such eventualities in advance.
Look for the Weaknesses
This is the stage where organizations find vulnerabilities in their security setup. These are the spots from where data can easily get exposed or accessed by people who mustn’t have received it. For example, when employees access sensitive information on public networks, this is a vulnerability. Assessing these weak spots helps organizations know where exactly they need to strengthen security.
Risk Management Plan
Once the threats and weaknesses are identified, the companies will have to make a plan to reduce these risks through employee training in best practices. There should be strong passwords, and security tools like VPNs for keeping data safe while performing online activities.
Monitor and Keep Updating
Operational security is a continuous process: A company should regularly monitor the systems, update security practices, and change strategies to cope with emerging threats. Generally, constant monitoring for the protection of data is done by the Security Operation Centres.
Role of VPNs in Strengthening Operational Security
VPNs are very important for operational security. A VPN provides a secure, encrypted link between a user’s device and the internet. This encryption scrambles data, making it unreadable to anyone who tries to intercept it. Here’s how VPNs help make operational security stronger:
Data Encryption
VPNs encrypt data, so unauthorized users can’t access it. This is especially important for businesses that handle sensitive customer or financial information. By encrypting data, VPNs make it hard for hackers to intercept and read information, even on public Wi-Fi networks.
Anonymity and IP Masking
VPNs hide a user’s IP address, which makes it harder for cybercriminals to trace online activities back to the user’s device or network. This added privacy is helpful for remote workers, who may need to access company resources from outside the office.
Secure Connections on Public Wi-Fi
Nowadays, employees work more and more from home or in hybrid places, which means that they connect with public Wi-Fi in cafes, airports, and coworking open spaces quite often. In general, public Wi-Fi is insecure this way and easily falls under the hacker’s watchful eye to intercept any data. A VPN encrypts them, so it shields any data sent and received.
Access Control for Sensitive Data
Using VPNs allows companies to control who has access to specific parts of their network. This is especially helpful for larger companies with many employees. With a VPN, only authorized users can access certain areas, lowering the risk of data exposure.
VPNs are an essential tool in operational security. They ensure that sensitive data stays secure and out of reach from unauthorized users, providing a strong layer of protection for businesses.
Operational Security for Remote and Hybrid Work Environments
As more companies adopt remote work models or hybrid work arrangements, operational security, the concept of keeping data safe, poses new challenges: employees are using personal devices and public Wi-Fi to perform work outside of the office. Indeed, 68% of companies have reported security breaches due to less-than-safe remote work setups. This trend has thus called for an increasing importance of operational security. Following are some of the major concerns against operational security in work-from-home and hybrid working environments:
1. Insecure Public Wi-Fi Networks
Working from home, employees mostly connect to public Wi-Fi in cafes, hotels, or airports. Most of these public networks are unsecured, which means that this is easy access for hackers. If he connects to such public networks without protection, company information is already in jeopardy.
2. Use of Personal Devices
When working remotely, employees may use personal laptops, tablets, or phones to access company data. Unlike company-issued devices, personal devices may lack the necessary security software, such as antivirus protection or firewalls. If an individual device is hacked, sensitive company data could be exposed.
3. Lack of IT Monitoring and Control
In an office, the IT team can monitor and control security on all devices connected to the network. With remote work, however, it’s harder for IT to secure each device used by employees. IT teams need new ways to protect data without being able to manage every device in real-time directly.
How Companies Are Addressing These Challenges
To handle these issues, many companies use security operations centers. A SOC monitors for security risks and responds to threats around the clock. However, even with a SOC, remote work setups need extra tools for safe data access.
One of the major ways data is kept safe in online, remote, and hybrid workspaces is through a VPN. A VPN will encrypt or scramble all of the data that the employee sends or receives online. This means even if they connect to an insecure Wi-Fi network, any data shared remains safe. With a VPN, employees will have secured access to company resources no matter where they are working, adding that much-needed layer of security for operational safety.
How PureVPN’s White-Label VPN Can Improve Operational Security
PureVPN offers a white-label VPN solution that is perfect for businesses aiming to strengthen their operational security. A white-label VPN allows companies to customize the VPN service with their branding, such as logos, colors, and company name, so it feels like an extension of their security tools. This personalized approach builds trust with clients and employees, as they see the VPN as part of the company’s official security program. Here’s how PureVPN’s white-label solution can enhance operational security in a big way:
1. Building Trust with Branded Security
PureVPN’s white-label option allows companies to brand the VPN as their own so that it becomes more recognizable and trustworthy to all employees and clients. If the employees see their company’s logo on the VPN, they can feel assured that a security tool is safe and supported officially by the business. This helps encourage employees to use the VPN consistently and reinforces good security habits that lower the risk of data breaches.
2. Strong Security Features to Protect Data
PureVPN’s white-label VPN comes packed with security features that make it easier for companies to keep sensitive data safe:
Data Encryption:
Encryption scrambles data, so if hackers try to access it, they can’t read or use it. This is crucial for keeping information like customer data and financial records secure.
Malware Protection:
The VPN has built-in tools to detect and block malware, which is harmful software that can damage devices or steal data. Blocking malware keeps both company devices and data safe.
Secure Access for Remote Workers:
PureVPN ensures employees safely access all company systems and resources, even in remote or public locations, and most especially in a hybrid or remote work environment where operational security is of paramount importance.
3. Scalable for Growing Businesses
The security requirement scales up with a business. In that aspect, the white-label solution by PureVPN can scale up to small teams as well as large-scale organizations. It will be able to provide services to an organization that has just a few employees or hundreds. Whatever the size may be, PureVPN can fit in and provide access securely to all users.
4. Simple to Use, Even for Non-Tech Employees
One of the biggest advantages of PureVPN is its user-friendly design. Setting up the VPN is straightforward, making it easy for employees to start using it right away. For companies, this ease of use means they don’t have to spend much time or resources on training.
Conclusion
Operational security is very decisive in protecting valuable data and fostering trust. Considering the ever-evolving cyber threats in today’s digital world, solid operational security is an important identifying element in the safety of operations. Among others, VPNs have a very important role in operational security through methods of encryption, concealing IP addresses, and securing their connections.
This protection is most valued by companies with remote or hybrid work settings where employees are usually working from different locations. One unique way PureVPN improves operational security for any company is through its white-label VPN solution. The company aids in gaining confidence with all your clients and employees by branding the VPN as your own.