The Year Of Social Distancing

There have been events throughout history that have caused a fundamental transformation of society on a global scale. The harnessing of electricity, the internal combustion engine, the two world wars and the internet come to mind. However, none of these caused a global transformation of society as quickly as did the COVID-19 pandemic.

With employees moving into the work-from-home model, the digital workplace became a reality for organizations worldwide. Cubes, offices and conference rooms were replaced by email, instant messaging and Zoom meetings. Many organizations were able to continue operations this way with only minimal disruption – however, cyber risk escalated considerably. For one thing, out of necessity, there was an increase in the digital transfer of sensitive content. Topics that previously would have been discussed in conference rooms or sketched out on white boards were now being discussed over collaboration tools and shared over email.