No matter what type of business you run, cybersecurity should always be on your mind, particularly for new employee management. Training your staff about proper safeguards will help keep your business safer from hackers.
Even though technology keeps moving forward, and new methods are being used to protect data, cybercriminals keep perfecting their techniques too. The number of cyber-attacks keeps growing every year, so investing in high-end protection is a must.
However, without employee training, the best cybersecurity practices won’t protect you from hackers. In 2019, researchers found that 90% of data breaches happened due to people, not highly sophisticated attack techniques. That’s why you have to invest in your employees and make them aware of all dangers lurking online. Here are a few useful tips you should implement in your business to improve cybersecurity.
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Challenges of Remote Work Cybersecurity
Today, most businesses switched to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That makes it harder to control access to your systems as your employees work from home and even hard when considering new employee management. That’s why they must know about all cybersecurity dangers, as the smallest mistake can lead to huge expenses that can completely ruin your company’s reputation and finances. Here are some common issues and how to avoid them.
1. Accessing Sensitive Data from Unsafe Wi-Fi Networks
Regardless of whether your employees are using their home network or public Wi-Fi, accessing sensitive data from unknown networks can lead to huge problems. Hackers or other perpetrators could track the connection, spy on everything your employees do, and potentially steal information.
Unencrypted data is an easy target, so you must implement some form of protection to ensure data safety. One of the best ways to protect your information is to recommend that all of your employees download a VPN on devices they use for work. That way, you can be sure that the data they work with is always protected, as VPNs enhance anonymity and make it nearly impossible for hackers to intercept your communications.
2. Working on Personal Devices
Around 6 percent of employees use personal devices to send and receive files related to work. Only one such action is enough to breach your entire system, which is why you must educate your employees about the dangers of using their own computers for work. That is dangerous because you have no control over their devices, updates, antivirus software, and so on.
If you can’t supply all employees with dedicated computers for work, you should invest in some type of cybersecurity training to make sure that they are aware of all dangers. Stick to the best security practices, and you will be able to minimize the chances of potential cyberattacks.
3. Ignoring Basic Physical Security
Let’s say that one of your employees is sitting in a park or a local coffee shop while on a Zoom meeting with your company’s CEOs. Even if the person has all of the security measures set up, simply talking out loud can lead to serious problems. You never know who’s listening and speaking out loud can lead to information leaks. Furthermore, someone could be spying on their laptop screens from behind, hoping to steal some information. That’s another reason why you should invest in employee training regularly and not just when you onboard new employees.
Benefits of Cybersecurity Employee Training
Ensuring that all of your remote employees are up to date with cybersecurity measures will give you peace of mind and help you run a tight operation. Here are a few significant benefits of investing in employee training.
1. Tightened Security
Keeping your employees up to date with the latest cybersecurity practices will tighten up your system and lower the overall threat. You have to ensure that your employees know the dire costs of human error. By keeping your entire team informed, you will make it much harder for hackers to find a weak spot in your system.
2. Helps Your Employees Feel More Confident
No one likes hearing about cyberattacks that cost companies billions of dollars on the news. One study found out that almost 70% of people feel anxious after hearing news about cyberattacks. However, if you educate your employees with the latest information, they will feel safer and more comfortable while working. Knowing how the system works will help your employees prevent cyberattacks. With regular testing and training, your employees will feel more confident in their skills and knowledge.
3. Saves Money and Time
Investing in cybersecurity can be expensive, but it’s nowhere nearly as expensive as a potential data breach. A single cyberattack can cost millions of dollars, so investing in employee training is definitely a good idea. Moreover, the time needed to tighten up the security is nothing when compared to the time required to repair the damage from a cyberattack. Prevention is key in this case.
The Bottom Line
Running a tight, secure company system online depends on everyone involved in the process. That’s why you must make sure that your employees know how to protect themselves and sensitive information. Invest into some type of cybersecurity training, if you haven’t already, and possibly a few monitoring tools to monitor employee activity. Leave nothing to chance, and you will save your company from many expenses and potential issues.
