Your Employees Can Become a Cybersecurity Asset, Here’s How

Nearly half of all businesses will experience a data breach of some kind this year, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute. And while there’s no surefire way to prevent being hacked, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. One of the most important is making sure your employees are up to speed on cybersecurity best practices.

Here are some ways to turn your employees into a security asset:

Educate them on the importance of cybersecurity

Make sure your employees understand why cybersecurity is important and how it relates to their job. A good way to do this is to hold regular training sessions or lunch-and-learns on various aspects of cybersecurity. You can also send out monthly reminders about best practices, such as not sharing passwords or clicking on links in suspicious emails.

Encourage them to report suspicious activity

Let your employees know that they should always report any suspicious activity, whether it’s an unusual email or a strange phone call. By doing so, they can help prevent a potential attack.

Provide them with the resources they need

Make sure your employees have the resources they need to do their job securely. This includes things like up-to-date antivirus software and a secure password manager. You should also provide them with guidance on how to spot phishing emails and what to do if they suspect they’ve been compromised.

Help them understand phishing attacks

Phishing attacks are a common way for hackers to gain access to systems and data. Educate your employees on what phishing is and how to spot it. This includes things like being suspicious of emails that contain misspellings or grammatical errors, or that come from an unrecognized sender. Offer phishing security awareness training to help them identify these attacks.

Keep them up to date on the latest threats

Make sure your employees are aware of the latest cybersecurity threats so they can be on the lookout for them. A good way to do this is to share articles or blog posts about new threats with your team on a regular basis. You can also hold training sessions on specific threats so everyone knows what to look out for.

Encourage them to use strong passwords

One of the simplest ways to improve your cybersecurity is to make sure your employees are using strong passwords for all their accounts. Encourage them to use a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols, and to avoid using easily guessed words like “password” or their name. You can also implement a password management system so they only have to remember one master password.

Help them understand the importance of security updates

Make sure your employees know why it’s important to install security updates as soon as they’re available. Hackers often target systems that are running outdated software, so keeping everything up to date is crucial. You can set up automatic updates for your systems so your employees don’t have to think about it.

By taking these steps, you can help turn your employees into a security asset instead of a liability. By working together, you can create a strong defense against even the most sophisticated attacks.