The reality of today’s post-pandemic business landscape is one where the workplace has shifted to a largely remote or hybrid setting. Employees are completing work on laptops and mobile devices, which allows for both physical and digital threats to protect company and personal data. This shift in how work is approached opens the door for enhanced vulnerabilities and gaps in security as compared to a purely in-person work environment.
Meanwhile, cyber attackers are increasingly sophisticated in their approach to online criminal dealings. According to this 2022 Must-Know Cyber Attack Statistics and Trends post, "Cyber attacks on all businesses, but particularly small to medium sized businesses, are becoming more frequent, targeted, and complex." The fallout of such cyber attacks can be catastrophic, from operations disruption and damage to infrastructure and IT assets to incurring huge financial losses, damage to a company’s reputation, and legal liability.
Another alarming trend in 2021 was that corporate cyber attacks increased by a staggering 50% as compared to 2020. This goes to show that cyber attackers are indeed constantly transforming and improving their menacing tactics. Fortunately, companies are not without options when it comes to avoiding being the victim of a data breach. Here are some ongoing best practices and tips to employ that’ll put your company on the defensive strongly. A good way to categorize data protection practices and tips is by exploring the people, or human capital side, of your company, followed by a look at how to protect your network, software, and hardware, or the systems side of the house.
95% of cybersecurity breaches are made due to human error, and with employees operating in a remote or hybrid work environment, this becomes even more prevalent. Ensure your people are properly trained and equipped with the latest practices and tips around data protection so that they can put their best foot forward in the interest of your company.
The approach to protecting one’s workspace is as important in a remote capacity as it is in your office. A remote work environment may look like the privacy of an employee’s home or a public space, like a co-working establishment or coffee shop. Still, employees need to be diligent about protecting their workspace, even at home. It’s easy to fall into patterns that expose sensitive data to would-be cyber criminals. Employees should be trained to exercise these steps around their workspace:
Create best practices for how employees should behave when online and/or using your network. Cyber threats are continuously developing, which makes modeling best practices that can be adapted to the latest threats very useful. Emphasizing guidance in the following areas is a great place to start:
Notably, creating accurate policy documentation is a necessary step before delivering training and best practices to your workforce. Policies help to enforce such best practices. Digital automation policies may also be used to pre-analyze emails and add headers to alert users that something is odd. Company-issued devices can also be forced to automatically lock, enroll in backup services, and install security and antivirus software.
Your job isn’t done following the IT orientation for new workers, where you discuss cybersecurity best practices and recommendations. Establish a regular schedule for communicating cyber attack trends to all staff, such as the latest phishing tactics, social engineering ploys, and ransomware attacks.
Furthermore, deploy automated major software updates, password refreshes, and the like at the company level, rather than asking the individual users to do it. Keeping these security best practices automatic can dramatically reduce the risk of a data breach or cyberattack caused by human error.
We’ve covered the human side of things, but your systems and operations also play a role in keeping your business’ data safe. Here are some recommended best practices as they pertain to your network, software, and hardware.
Having up to date hardware has its pros and cons, and realistically, most companies cannot afford to upgrade to the newest hardware every year or so. When using newer hardware, it also has newer built-in security that protects from common threats. Additionally, newer devices are made to run faster, meaning better speed and productivity for your workers.
On the other hand, there are some reasons to hang on to older devices, primarily due to cost. If you are in an industry that uses complex machinery, for example, buying the latest computer may mean it is not compatible with your machines, making them obsolete and needing to be replaced. Essentially, if your older devices are costing you more in downtime than they are making you in uptime, you may need to consider upgrading. If not, the cost of bringing on 24/7 tech support for your current system can be far more reasonable.
Overall, with newer computers, you’ll spend less time updating, operate faster and more efficiently, and have a lower risk of downtime due to hardware failure. However, older systems and software will no longer be supported on newer computers in many cases, meaning a much bigger expense in replacing them. It is often worth the cost of bringing on tech support—whether in-house or outsourced—to keep your older machines up and running rather than replacing them with something new.
Awareness, knowledge, and employing these best practices is your first line of defense against would-be online criminal attacks. To quantify your security strategy, we recommend identifying and closing any further gaps and confirming the strength of your data protection measures/protocol. For instance, getting a security health check can help you identify the following threats:
And if you want to take a deeper dive at opportunities to train your employees, you can follow up with our IT Insights. From Security Awareness Training and Phishing Simulations to Dark Web Monitoring and Security Training Policy, IT Insights will educate you and your employees to stay safe, secure, and productive while protecting your online identity.
