IDX CEO Tom Kelly Discusess How the Blending of Our Personal and Professional Lives is Putting Our Data at Risk

As featured on Torrey Snow WBAL

In today’s business environment, employees are often using the same devices to connect to both work and home networks. But the lack of a clear boundary between our personal and professional identities is creating new challenges for enterprises. As a result, an employer’s network and data are being exposed to vulnerabilities to the same extent that an employee would be in his or her personal life.

Tom Kelly, president and CEO of IDX, sat down with Torrey Snow, radio host on WBAL NewsRadio 1090 and FM 101.5, to discuss how the blending of our personal and professional lives is putting our data privacy at risk and the threats both employers and employees face in today’s digital world.

As Tom outlined in the interview, over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of our workplaces by moving millions of employees into their homes and out of their offices. But our increased digital activity in both our personal and professional lives, from using platforms like Zoom to communicate at work to our heightened presence on social media, has created a host of data privacy issues.

Tom added that employees who use personal devices or networks for work are placing their employers at greater risk. “You’re mixing your home world with your business world,” Tom noted. The number of enterprise-level data breaches has surged over the last two years, costing companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. And the most common breaches are the result of successful phishing scams, a cyberattack that takes advantage of even the smallest vulnerabilities in an enterprise system.

Today, cyber threats and data breaches are rampant, but Tom warned that things are only going to get worse unless both employees and employers take steps to address their security vulnerabilities.

The most important thing employees can do to better protect themselves and their employer, according to Tom, is to limit their footprint on social media and other digital platforms. “Be conscious of the fact that everything that you’re doing out there is being monitored,” Tom noted. Employees should make sure they are taking advantage of privacy options on their devices and removing potential risk factors, such as geo-location settings and information sharing with apps.

For employers, protecting the data and identity of their employees online is not just about enterprise security; it should be treated as an employee benefit that will help us all better combat threats. Employers need to be investing in rigorous privacy and identity protection software for their employees who do not have the same protection they would have using corporate networks.

As the digital transformation of the workplace continues, both employees and employers need to remain vigilant against threats to data privacy. But the tools you need to protect your business or personal information are available to you. Visit www.idx.us to see how IDX Privacy can help you.