~by Meghan Belnap~
No matter your specific industry, digital information is crucial to your business’s success. You must secure and protect all digital information. Security breaches cause huge financial damages and can ruin your company’s reputation. Communication is critical in your business so that your employees understand why they need to follow these policies.
Here are 4 ways to implement security awareness in the workplace.
Prevent the Use of Unauthorized Applications
Your employee network contains sensitive information; it’s important to regulate what programs and applications your employees can and cannot access on company networks. Personal email and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook should never be used at work. Employees who use these applications present an opportunity for hackers to access both personal and company-related information.
Proper Password Protection and Logout Procedures
One of the fundamentals of security awareness is proper password protection for computers and logging out of computers when they’re not in use. A report from Cisco shows that a disconcertingly high number of employees neglect these procedures, and that their passwords offer insufficient protection. Though these employees are most likely not neglecting these practices out of malicious intent, recent data show that internal negligence is one of the primary sources of data loss and security breaches.
Prevent “Tailgating”
“Tailgating”, is the term for either digitally or physically allowing potentially unauthorized people into security areas. This unauthorized form of access is common, especially to networks on which employees can “wander” into parts of the company network they’re not officially authorized to access. It’s important for employees to know that “no means no” when it comes to unauthorized parties accessing high-security areas. If there’s ever a question as to whether or not someone has authorization, refer to a security awareness training guide.
Educate Employees in the Potential Costs of a Data Breach
Employees need to understand that security breaches cause an expensive chain reaction. Explain in detail that managing security breaches entails the following steps:
- Validating the security breach
- Assembling an incident response team
- Determining the scope of the breach
- Notifying all affected parties
Not only do the procedures take time and money, they interrupt the regular company workflow.
By teaching your employees these best security practices and procedures, you can prevent the costly loss of data and security. Often, it’s as simple as teaching them to be mindful of security issues. Try implementing programs like those provided by Global Learning Systems in order to teach your employees best security practices. They need to know that their job security depends upon the physical and digital security of your company.
Meet the Author: Meghan Belnap
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure.
You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.
