Sometimes businesses can spend a significant amount of money on IT security services in hopes of preventing cyber attacks, but their overall security is still out of their control. The reality is your employees are an investment in your company in many ways, including IT security. Without the proper expectations, policies, procedures and consequences, employees could be compromising IT security and not even know it. Educating employees on the importance of cybersecurity is a great proactive IT management strategy and can make your organization even more secure. Here are some of the most common ways employees may be compromising IT security.
Working On Public WiFi
Connecting devices to public WiFi is rarely a good idea. These connections are not secure or encrypted, which means if a cyber criminal is lurking, they could create some damage and potentially access sensitive information. Make sure your employees are aware of these risks and consider investing in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for them so they can continue working on-the-go, but more securely at the same time. This is a proactive IT management strategy that’s well worth the investment.
Not Paying Attention To Malicious Emails
When work gets busy, it’s easy for employees to let down their guard and not even realize they are opening a potentially malicious email. Cyber criminals are smart and creative and can easily disguise themselves as someone commonly known within the organization. An unsuspecting employee may click on the email without even thinking and even open up an attachment or click a link embedded in the email. If that happens, you may be putting your disaster recovery plan into action quickly. Always emphasize to your employees the importance of paying attention to every email they open and never open an attachment or click a link if it appears the least bit suspicious.
Not Having Password Protected Devices
Believe it or not, most people don’t protect their devices with a password. So if there’s business information stored on those devices and they get lost or stolen, all of the information is free game for anyone who finds it. If you allow employees to use their own devices, it should be mandatory for them to have it password protected, change the password every few months and make it strong enough so it’s not easy to guess. Some IT security services will require passwords to have a certain amount of characters with a mix of special characters and numbers. While it may seem like an inconvenience, it’s well worth it to require it from your employees.
Single Point of Contact is here to help you develop a proactive IT management strategy to cover all bases. Many business owners forget about their employees being major cybersecurity risks, but we make them a priority. Whether it’s educating them, giving them the security tools to succeed or involving them in your disaster recovery plan, employees always need to have cybersecurity at the top of their mind. Feel free to contact us at any time to see how we can help secure your business from every angle.
