Putting a cybersecurity strategy into practice requires the efforts of every member of your organization. The problem is convincing your employees of this. A recent Tech Pro Research report shows that 58% of respondents found that the most difficult aspect of implementing a cybersecurity strategy is employee compliance. This response is troubling because a risk-aware culture is your first line of defense, and your cybersecurity strategy is only as strong as the weakest link.
Individual actions and behaviors can have catastrophic effects on your business’s security as a whole. As a business owner, you should have an education and training program in place to enhance employees’ understanding of cybersecurity threats, outline best practices and approved behavior and ultimately reduce your organization’s risk of breach. This includes both general cybersecurity knowledge, as well as policies specific to your organization’s landscape.
On-boarding and Orientation
Start at the beginning. A course on cybersecurity threats and best practices generally, as well as the specific user-access and behavioral policies of your business, should be integrated into your organization’s on-boarding and orientation programs. This way, all new employees are coming in with a baseline of knowledge and an understanding of the company’s overarching cybersecurity strategy and expectations. You will regulate cybersecurity practices from the very beginning and ensure that no bad habits are formed.
Ongoing Training
Cybersecurity education should not stop at on-boarding and orientation. Your business and your IT landscape evolve overtime and so should your cybersecurity strategy. As threats shift, as you adopt new technologies and as your business grows, you will need to adapt your security policies to maintain an effective defense. Likewise, employee cybersecurity training should be ongoing to maintain current knowledge and understand any new changes.
Compliance Management
Data security is an entire organism of its own within a business that requires full-time management. Security management is extensive and time-consuming work: assessing pain points and vulnerabilities; creating a specialized cybersecurity strategy; building user-access maps and best practices and monitoring and enforcing those behavioral policies throughout the organization. Don’t take all that on alone; enlist the expertise and assistance of an IT consultant and managed security provider to ensure that there are no holes in your defence strategy.
Contact AIS today to discuss our managed security services and schedule a security assessment.