While there are many advantages to relying on computers and the internet in the business world, there are also many security risks and it is vital that you know what these are and how you can stay safe. Employee negligence is often the reason that cybercriminals are successful, or an issue is encountered. This means that you also must educate your staff on how they can stay safe and protect sensitive company data. You should also create policies that will outline rules and expected behavior so that employees know what action they can and cannot take. Here are a few of the best security practices to teach your staff.
Strong Password Protection & Authentication
The most obvious security practice is to use strong password protection and two-factor authentication. It is important that staff are using random, complex passwords and different passwords for different accounts – these should also be changed on a regular basis (they can use a password manager to remember these passwords). Two-factor authentication adds another layer of security which is a smart way to restrict access to sensitive network areas. Implementing Privileged Access Management and paying special attention to the security of priviledged accounts, such as the administrator, can be a great way to decrease the probability of data breaches. You can also use cloud security specialists like mcafee to apply controls that can block unauthorized access to data.
Learn About Common Scams
Cybercriminals are coming up with increasingly sophisticated scams that can be easy to fall for. You should educate your staff on these scams and how they can stay safe. This will include being wary of phishing and avoiding pop-ups, suspicious links, and unsolicited emails.
Back-Up Data
Staff should be backing up their data to an external device on a regular basis. This ensures that no important information is lost if there is a breach or if data is corrupted, damaged, or stolen.
Antivirus Software
Staff should have high-quality antivirus and malware software installed on all of their devices to continuously scan for outside threats. This is important in a time where staff often use their own devices for work which means that they will have sensitive data on these devices.
Using Secure Networks
Leading on from this, you must also make sure that staff only access sensitive files on a secure network. It could be dangerous for an employee to use public Wi-Fi for handling sensitive data so if you have teams that work remotely then you need to educate them on using a VPN.
Firewall Protection
A firewall is the first line of defense against outside threats and an excellent way to increase security. You should have a firewall for the company network but it is also intelligent to get employees to install one on their home network to prevent unauthorized access when working remotely.
These are the main security practices that you need to pass on to your staff. Employee negligence is one of the biggest threats to a business but often you can easily avoid this simply by teaching your staff security practices and by making cybersecurity a policy. When everyone knows how to stay safe then it can provide peace of mind and allow the entire team to work with confidence each day.
