Published on March 12th, 2020 | by Sunit Nandi

How to improve cybersecurity in your workplace

Cybercrime is one of the biggest threats to businesses in today’s digital age. Unfortunately, it’s a profitable business.

Stealing a business’s most valuable asset – its data. Then using this information against the company to leverage further information and ultimately finance.

Businesses of all sizes, capacities, and across all sectors are targeted by ransomware, online fraud, phishing, and hacking, with over 60% of companies around the world affected annually.

This figure continues to rise as cybercrime attacks evolve. They continually change their methods, how they impact upon a business, what and who they target etc. With organisations now spending more than ever to deal with the costs and consequences of attacks.

But what if you were protected right from the start?

What if a cyber-attack failed due to the protocols and security measures you have in place.

What if, your private and confidential information stayed like that, private and confidential, no matter what the threat?

These aren’t just bold statements; they can be a reality. If, and only if, businesses are willing to invest the time and resources into the right security policies, the right firewalls, and email security software, making a cultural change from within the organisation about the real threat and dangers cybercrime can present.

Proven techniques to improve cybersecurity in the workplace

Protecting your business now and in the future

Educating employees and carrying out regular formal training within your workplace is one of the best methods of preventing cybercrime.

Why?

Because not everyone understands the digital landscape, and I can guarantee that not everyone knows what a phishing attack looks like or what a piece of malware looks like, for example.

Nor does everyone know the consequences of cybercrimes, the impact that they can have and the cost to the business if they are allowed to filter through systems.

Educating your teams beyond your IT department helps to get everyone on board. If we think of your IT department like an Army, with a mission to protect your business’s infrastructure and personal information at all times, the rest of the business, once educated and knowledgeable about the subject becomes your Army reserves. There to support your IT department and the wider business by applying their knowledge and understanding of threats, protecting the business from another perspective, a different level.

To do this, comprehensive IT policies need to be in place. Identifying that unknown emails shouldn’t be opened and reported to IT first. Links or attachments that look suspicious should be left alone. Visiting unknown sites or sites which aren’t protected should be forbidden in the workplace. And most importantly, sharing information online without using the best and most up to date encryption methods first should never be attempted.

If employees are provided with the right tools and information to make the most informed decisions, the right decisions can and will then be made.

Your work has value, and you need to protect it

Information about businesses and private and confidential information that are valuable. Just like money, having this information in your hands provides you with power. Hence, when this power falls into the wrong hands, it can cause an incredible amount of problems.

Thinking of information like your most valuable asset allows you to begin to think about how you can and want to protect it further.

In these instances, you need to take into consideration where and how information is stored and how data is sent and received.

What wi-fi routers are you currently using? Are remote members of your team using public networks that aren’t secure? And most importantly and one of the biggest problems for businesses is that of passwords and if these are indeed strong enough and ideally not written down – even if they are kept in a “safe place”.

By setting up a cybersecurity strategy, you can look to tackle many of these issues, with workaround solutions put in place to protect your workplace for common cyber-attacks.

Lead by Example

Leading by example, should never just be a phrase; it should be a part of a company’s culture. Everyone from the CEO to those on the shop floor should understand the importance of cybersecurity and their role in keeping data and confidential information intact.

To achieve this, look to keep your risk management agenda and cybersecurity strategy up to date and clearly communicated throughout your business. Filtering any key points or areas for discussion up and down the lines of hierarchy. Also, look to include training documents i.e., how to create strong passwords, how to back up your work safely, what does phishing mean and look like, appropriate behaviour online, etc.

Reinforcing the need for regular and continued training on how to identify the most common threats as well as the importance of regular communication throughout the organisation can never be underestimated.

Embrace and safeguard digital growth

Digital shows no signs of slowing down, and businesses must look at the opportunities and innovations advances in technology can provide, as well as being aware of the increase in opportunities for cybercriminals.

To ensure that opportunity falls into the right hands, you need to look at securing applications, changing business processes to incorporate digital transformation, and, most importantly, be prepared to respond to a digital attack.

Making sure you have the right security tools and security software in place to protect your business systems, preventing unauthorised access from a private network at all times is vital.

The importance of a good security suite

Cybercrime doesn’t stand still, and because of this, neither should businesses.

Protecting your business by implementing the right procedures, security software measures, and installing the best firewalls that are best suited to you is what is of the utmost importance.

If we’re honest, it’s vital if you want your business to thrive in a digital world.

Tags: how to, improve, workplace

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.