Your organization has, most likely, company policies on cybersecurity and data protection, and you may think you are well protected by your due diligence. Many data breaches slide under the radar because they occur due to employee negligence. It is more important than ever that you take the time to ensure that your employees understand cybersecurity best practices and that your IT department is prepared to mitigate risk.
Employees Can Be a Security Risk
Nearly one-third of employees admit to potentially risky behavior at work, and the number of employees who may be engaging in risky behavior may be higher than you think because they don’t consider what they are doing to be risky. Small bad habits can pose a serious security risk, whether it’s due to a small mistake made at the wrong time, or small breaches that eventually open a large chasm. Employees can fall for phishing emails, may accidentally send information to the wrong parties, and even knowingly take data out of the company, assured they will keep it safe. Rarely do employees knowingly cause a data breach. Both lower level and high-level employees can be guilty of risky behavior, and working off-site can make the risk even higher.
Cybersecurity Best Practices
The first step in cybersecurity best practices is to let your employees know how important it is to your organization and what’s at stake. All staff should be trained and informed on all policies and procedures. The proper training and information can help minimize this inside risk. Employees should be advised to:
- Keep sensitive information out of sight when working.
- Avoid public Wi-Fi when working on company business or on a company device.
- Avoid sharing company issued electronics with family.
- Keep company devices away from children.
- Look at every email closely and verify its legitimacy, particularly those asking for information.
- Report any potential threats or suspicious emails.
- If a breach is suspected, take steps to report and remedy immediately.
The Role of the IT Manager
An IT manager has a big responsibility to ensure that employees understand the importance of compliance with cybersecurity best practices. The IT manager should monitor all operations, maintain the security tools and technology, monitor employee compliance, and make sure cybersecurity is always something that employees are considering.
Consider a CSR Self-Assessment of Your Organization
Most businesses and organizations are not prepared for a data breach and may not even be utilizing current cybersecurity best practices. Some businesses feel they aren’t big enough to worry about cyber attacks, but no business is safe from the implications. AccuShred has partnered with CSR Privacy Solutions to provide a smart choice for your organization. The assessment tool is a proactive and cost-effective way for your organization to understand any potential weak points in your cybersecurity. Once you have identified the potential issues, you can improve your organization’s training, practices, and procedures to increase your cybersecurity.
It is much more likely that if your organization experiences a data breach, the breach will have come from inside your organization. By taking the time to make sure your entire staff is on board with cybersecurity best practices, you will know that you’ve taken every step necessary to keep your company data safe. Let us help. Contact AccuShred to learn more about how we can guide your organization through an assessment of your current safety measures.