You can try to protect your business with the very latest security systems, but it is very difficult to protect your business from the real threat, human error. Keeping your data safe is no easy task, especially when you have lots of people to manage.
What will really determine whether your business is secure is your loyal staff. They need to be clued up on security issues and understand what is expected of them.
If you want to keep your business safe then here are some of the things you should address with your employees.
–Security Awareness
First and foremost you need to make sure that your staff are aware about security issues that could concern your business. They need to know how much potential damage these security threats could do and why it is so important for them to follow procedure.
According to the centre for the protection of national infostructure “Take care when dealing with private and personal data – ensure it is handled in accordance with the organisation’s own rules and the requirements of the Data Protection Act”
–Strict Policies
You should have strict policies in place when it comes to business security. It’s crucial that these are clearly communicated to staff when they join and throughout their time at the company. According to Neil of document management company Storetec “These policies need to be documented and easily accessed in case they need to be referenced”.
This includes things like stating what employees are allowed to install on their work computer and who they are allowed to share information with etc. Make sure that all staff understand and follow these rules.
–Security Training
You can tell staff about strict policies but there are some aspects of business security that they will need training for. It’s best to assume their knowledge is low so that you don’t miss anything out in the training process.
Provide staff with security training so that they totally understand what they should and shouldn’t be doing. Training can teach staff to pick up on threats such as suspicious websites and emails.
–The Importance Of Passwords
Passwords are key when it comes to business security. However, there is no point having passwords if staff do silly things such as write them down, save them on their computer and tell other staff members their password. Set some strict rules about passwords and encourage staff to do the following:
- Get into the habit of changing their password regularly
- Never write their password down
- Use numbers, symbols and uppercase/lowercase letters
- Not to choose obvious password
- Not to share passwords with other staff
–Proactive Not Reactive
Don’t just let security issues happen and then think of ways to solve them. Most security breaches can be prevented in the first place so it’s important to be proactive rather than reactive where business security is concerned. Many security issues are caused by human error.
–Share Knowledge Of Threats
Knowledge is power, especially with security issues. Create an environment where staff can easily communicate and share any security threats or issues they come across. This can help situations become worse and stop other staff making the same mistakes. Get staff to talk to each other and share what they learned so that everybody can be prepared.
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