October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and there’s no better time to educate your employees about cybersecurity than now. Your employees are the first line of defense against cyberattacks and your system’s greatest vulnerability. It is essential to educate your team and mitigate cyber risks.
If you run a business, you probably have an alarm system on your property to protect it from criminals trying to break in and steal your tools, information, and assets. But how do you keep your digital tools, information, and assets safe? Cybersecurity is paramount, and so is your employees’ compliance.
Communicate the Risks of Cyberattacks and Cybersecurity
The first step, and one of the most important, is to communicate to your employees the consequences of cyberattacks for the business. Cyberattacks happen all the time, but they don’t make the front page. Sharing these not-so newsworthy incidents with your team is an easy way to start the conversation.
While your business is unique, the impacts of a security breach are not. The loss of proprietary information, client or consumer trust, and profits are all potential effects of a cyberattack. Depending on your field, sensitive client or consumer data may also be comprised. And if your business’s data breach impacts your client’s business, they can sue you. But, cyberattacks are preventable, and they should know how to do their part.
Teach them to Identify Potential Cyberattacks
Since your employees are your first line of defense, they must know how to defend themselves. Cybercriminals will spoof email addresses, websites, phone numbers, and two-factor authentication forms to steal your employees’ login information.
Some protective tips to pass on to your employees are:
- Doublecheck email addresses on suspicious emails, especially if they ask for private information (passwords, bank account information, etc.)
- Abstain from clicking on links opening attachments in suspicious emails before your IT professionals review them
- Check the file extension on unusual attachments.
Outline Best Practices for Email, Internet, and Mobile Devices
Business owners should establish best company practices for email, internet browsing, and using their smartphones on company networks to keep everyone responsible and safe. Document and share the company’s rules for safe browsing and start the cybersecurity conversation.
Best Practices may include:
- Warning employees about clicking on suspicious links and unsecure pages
- Enforcing multifactor authentication on accounts and ongoing OS updates
- Encouraging them to change passwords routinely
- Discouraging the access of personal accounts on company networks.
If users work from home, business owners should enforce VPNs to protect their proprietary information from exposure.
Ongoing Cybersecurity Education
If your business doesn’t include cybersecurity training in new employee onboarding, it should. From the start, you should educate your team about cybersecurity and your business’s cyber safe practices. Additionally, to keep the knowledge fresh, ongoing cybersecurity meetings. Celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month, for example, is a great way to keep your staff engaged with cybersecurity.
Periodically meeting with your team and reviewing cyber safety and the business’s expectations from safe browsing ensures your employees are sensitive to potential threats and cultivates a culture of cybersecurity in the workplace. Cybersecurity is constantly evolving to match new threats, and your team should be aware of online dangers, new and old.
If you need help educating your employees about cybersecurity and establishing common sense digital practices for your business, call an expert. At Go Kall IT, we offer outsourced IT solutions for businesses like yours. Contact us today for more information, and start keeping your business cyber safe.
