Your employees are your first defense against the rising issue of cybercrime. While it may be true that your staff members are the most likely cause of costly data breaches, they are also your most valuable resource to prevent it from happening. With the right training and the right advice, it can be very easy to ensure that your employees are as security-aware as possible, lessening the risks of the majority of hacks and scams that are growing in sophistication and danger. If you want to optimize your security protocols and procedures, then your first stop should always be your staff, and these three topics are the key to maximizing your security and keeping your business, customers, staff, and suppliers as safe as feasibly possible.
Passwords
Your passwords are your most important part of your defense against hackers, and because of that, you need to make certain that every staff member is aware of the need for strong password security. This needn’t be an unnecessarily lengthy lesson to teach, as the basics of strong password management are fairly obvious and known to most. It doesn’t prevent the fact that most people still use one of the more common passwords in the world, and that is suddenly an issue that may affect your business. There is also the issue to address of repeated passwords, and every distinct element of your data management is going to need a different password, meaning that access is only granted to those that need it and not spread across the company for no reason. We recommend using a management password service to secure passwords and other confidential information in the workplace.
Security checklists
One of the most efficient ways to ensure that your employees are being as security conscious as possible while using their online resources is to provide checklist reminders of how to best use them. It can be simple enough to implement and could provide you with a layer of security that you may well need. For those that make use of cloud-based technologies like Amazon Web Services (AWS), then you should be aware of AWS Cloud security best practices, and make sure that your staff are doing all that they can to keep your data safe. Working through and via your checklists will keep everyone safer and more security aware.
BYOD issues
Many businesses are making use of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) mentality in the workplace for obvious reasons. Allowing employees to use their own smartphones and tablets reduces your outlay costs and cuts down on the training required to use them. However, this also opens you up to lazy security protocols when people are in their own time, and if those devices are linked to your business, then your company may well be at risk. Stress the need to keep BYOD tools as secure as possible, and make sure that your staff knows to log out of business accounts as soon as they finish work. This way, you reinforce the reality that those devices are a potential weak spot in your security defenses and provide further reasons for staff to be wary of how they use their devices in and out of the workplace.
With the right staff training and the best security procedures in place, your work environment can very easily become much more efficient and far safer, giving you time to concentrate on running your company and making the most of the time that you have. Failing to address security is the fastest way to fall victim to cybercrime, and that may well cause irreparable damage to your business.
