When globally almost a third of companies where bosses have told office workers not to send sensitive business and personal information via non-approved online channels have still had this action take place – meaning that employees shared the data via those non-approved channels all the same – what is the likelihood of the same thing not happening with your remote workforce and business-critical data?
The apps that are being used to exchange this data, such as Teams or Zoom, aren’t the priority as much as keeping track of the data and reducing risks when the data is being exchanged.
As a risk management company, we support business growth and success. This means implementing an effective security posture, but also supporting a company’s workforce to know how to apply best cybersecurity practices.
It does not mean telling business executives or human resources department heads that training your remote workforce on cybersecurity alone will suffice or that having policies and procedures for cybersecurity best practices will be enough to ensure employees always follow the rules to meet compliance regulations either.
Cybersecurity real talk: You train, you give rules, and you understand the habits so that you can break the bad habits in time as you integrate and substitute with cybersecurity culture practices that you make a constant through business day-to-day operational habits.
A simple break-down with best cybersecurity practices in mind are the following steps.
Step 1. Compliance regulations have different demands, one of the most common components is tracking data – Start setting up a system, such as documentation with a word document or excel sheet, to know where data has been and who has seen it throughout the day-to-day activities. Treat it like a logbook, but of your data.
Step 2. Daily reminders regarding patching software and devices that are being used before the workday begins and before the work day ends, so, when turning on and shutting down devices.
Step 3. Give employees regular updates on phishing emails to watch out for, as well as nudges for when there are critical vulnerabilities that require device patching ASAP.
Step 4. Limit the use of apps you use for team meetings and data exchanges to one app alone. This means directing them to the one app that you know is doing their best to ensure cybersecurity is a part of their software, so for example end-to-end encryption is an available option and easy to implement.
Step 5. Regular cybersecurity training. Plus, regular practice runs at identifying phishing emails or other cyber threats. Plan for them at least once a month during workdays and hours so that you respect your employee’s personal time.
You can try our free cybersecurity solution here: https://training.ncxgroup.com/free/
If you are going to succeed, it is important to keep your workforce’s moral and well-being a priority. This means that it is ideal to make cybersecurity a part of the business day instead of an extra obligation that they have to attend and do on family or leisurely (off) time.
Another added benefit for your business would be to conduct a security assessment. With all the devices and home networks being used to conduct business operations it will get you to find out exactly where you stand with present risks. With the complete visual, you will have a clear path to what comes next for your business in terms of cybersecurity steps.
Complete your online risk assessment for free and in less than 10 minutes here: https://training.ncxgroup.com/free/#assessment
Schedule your free consultation to talk more about these best cybersecurity practices and more for your remote workforce.
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