No business can afford to overlook its obligations from a security perspective, and while external threats may be the focus of your strategies, it’s often internal vulnerabilities that are more pressing.
Here’s a look at a few strategies to protect your business from internal security issues and human errors in a security context so that your company is not exposed unnecessarily.
Table of Contents
Invest in Employee Security Training
Firstly, it’s essential to arm your employees with the knowledge they need to protect your business from internal security issues.
Education on the importance of following best practices for things like secure data sharing, and avoiding malicious software can help them make better decisions when it comes to protecting their work environment.
Training should also include an understanding of any relevant privacy laws and regulations so that employees know what is expected in terms of compliance.
Also, implement a policy that encourages employees to report suspicious activity or breaches, as this will help maintain trust within the workplace while ensuring safety protocols are being followed correctly.
Implement Robust Password Protection Policies
Another important part of an overhaul of the internal security setup must involve a rethink of how you handle password protection.
As part of this, require employees to use strong passwords that are at least 8 characters long and contain a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Also, encourage them not to reuse their passwords across multiple sites or platforms.
Additionally, you can implement two-factor authentication for extra security measures when logging into sensitive accounts or systems.
For added peace of mind, consider using an automated system that will generate complex passwords for users, while also storing the information securely in its cloud database, so users don’t have to remember them all themselves.
Carry Out Regular and Effective User Access Reviews
It’s not just about how you protect your resources but who is offered access to them as such, it’s wise to frequently look into how this is managed.
This can be time-consuming, so you need to look into making user access reviews more streamlined to make informed decisions about whether particular access is necessary.
Start by mapping out each of the roles within your organization and what level of access they should have. Then implement systems that allow you to keep track of who has access to which resources. This will be especially important if someone leaves their role or changes departments, as you can ensure their permissions are appropriately adjusted accordingly.
Finally, make sure only authorized personnel have administrative privileges so that users cannot accidentally tamper with settings or perform other potentially damaging actions.
Keep Your Software Up-to-Date with Patches and Updates
Outdated software can be vulnerable to malicious attacks, so make sure you have an automated system that automatically downloads and installs the latest patches as soon as they become available. This will need human oversight to ensure that any updates you do roll out don’t impact software stability or hardware functionality, but the security upsides make the extra work worthwhile.
Furthermore, you should regularly check for any new versions or feature releases which could help your team work more efficiently while also providing extra protection against potential hacking attempts.
Lastly, back up all important files on a regular basis so that if anything does go wrong, you will still have access to them.
Wrapping Up
You need to eliminate as many variables and automate as much as possible when it comes to keeping security issues at bay, whether internal or external. That way, team members can get on with their everyday duties without constantly being at risk of causing a breach.
