Cybersecurity Awareness – Is Your Staff Prepared?
Security firms estimate that hackers and other cybercriminals will illegally gain access to more than 30 billion data records next year. These criminals often target small- and medium-sized businesses that have limited security in place to prevent a breach. Although businesses in some industries deal with more hacks than others, such as banks, insurers, hospitals and social platforms, every business no matter the industry is at risk of a breach.
Unlike large corporations, smaller businesses don’t typically have the financial or legal means to bounce back quickly or at all from these attacks, which is why cybersecurity awareness among employees is so important. For many businesses, employees represent the only second line of defense available against cyberattacks after antivirus programs and firewalls. How employees interact with computer systems and private data helps to determine the level of risk.
Read on to learn more about preparing staff members for cybersecurity threats:
Common Sense Is Critical
All employees should know basic cybersecurity rules that apply both to business and personal scenarios. For example, many people still fall prey to phishing and malware link scam emails. Employees need to use extra caution when responding to previously unknown and known senders and clicking email links. They need to remember that many cybercriminals pretend to be a legitimate sender to provoke a response that either involves the recipient sending private data via email back to them or clicking a link and providing that information elsewhere or downloading malware.
Additionally, many people still commonly have bad password habits even though almost everyone who has ever set up an online account for business or personal reasons has heard at least once in their life about the dangers of using bad or low-quality passwords, rarely changing passwords and using the same password for every account. Believe it or not, some people in business environments today still believe that “123456,” “guest” and “password” or the dates of birthdays and anniversaries, names of loved ones or pets and middle names can safely secure computer systems that contain the private identifying data of their customers and banking details.
Automation and Training Work
If employees have difficulty with basic cybersecurity concepts, then they’re likely not following more complex protocols designed to protect a business from attacks. In many cases, a business owner can prevent gaps in cybersecurity awareness and protocol follow-through by automating some security steps. For example, they might set up automated warning popups that alert employees when they use weak passwords or prompt employees to update old passwords. They might also use two- and multi-factor authentication prompts that require an employee to supply multiple forms of authentication before they can access a computer, program or online account.
These types of automated tools won’t prevent gross negligence that often occurs. For example, some employees leave their passwords written on sticky notes stuck to computers or written on a sheet of paper inside an easy-to-access desk drawer. Regular training is the best way a business owner or office manager can reinforce appropriate password and other security behaviors. Since criminals use new tactics all of the time, a business can only survive if employees are kept up to date about the latest hacker and other cybercriminal schemes and taught how to stay vigilant. They also need training on how to properly cope with and handle attacks to reduce serious, costly mistakes that employees commonly make when shocked by security emergencies.
IT and Cybersecurity Support
One way a business owner can guarantee that their employees are always aware of and prepared for cyberattacks is by providing them with access to a premium, professional IT team that provides more than generalized IT support. They specialize in cybersecurity solutions as well, including hardware and software, training and 24-hour emergency support. An IT support team can maintain the hardware and software needed to provide data backup and protection. They can alert a busienss to new threats. They can even supply positive reinforcement of appropriate security habits through daily updates and reminders between supplying extensive cybersecurity training sessions.
With an increasingly number of companies allowing their employees to work from home partially or entirely or from shared public workspaces, a well-trained IT team can teach employees about the less commonly known threats that exist when working in these types of scenarios. For example, they can teach employees how to safely secure portable electronics and passwords when working in public settings. They can also help employees set up more secure networks at home so they can work from home without risking a breach to their employer’s databases.
Speak With a Cybersecurity Professional
Since every business has unique needs and financial and time constraints, it’s important to speak with cybersecurity professionals that have previous experience providing services to similar businesses. Our IT support team has extensive cybersecurity experience and knows the unique obstacles that small businesses face when trying to secure their computer systems and networks from both cybercriminals and unaware employees. Call us to learn more about our cybersecurity planning and implementation, daily, emegency and remote IT and security support and employee training services.
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