Did you know that the human element is one of the main causes of data breaches, with phishing emails only accounting for 36% of breaches? The rise in remote working has only worsened the risk of businesses being compromised by socially engineered attacks. Although working from home brings with it a multitude of benefits, including greater flexibility, a large proportion of IT professionals agree that workers aren’t secure enough.

Cyber Security Strategy

Before creating a cyber security strategy that includes staff training, it is important to assess the risks your employees are facing, to be able to educate them correctly. The use of cloud systems does add another dimension of risk, as employees can access business accounts on their personal devices. The blurring of work and personal life means that it is easier for confidential documents to be saved & shared on unprotected networks.

Educating employees is the best way to create a system that is resilient to cyber attacks. By providing a more comprehensive level of cyber security training, remote employees will be more aware of potential threats, and how their individual actions may put the business at risk.

Staff awareness is just one prong of a cyber security strategy, this needs to be backed up by a solid security solution – enhanced email security, as well as backup systems in the eventuality that data recovery is needed.

Improving Training

When looking at improving cyber security training for staff, computer-based training shouldn’t be the main focus. Staff need to learn via a multichannel approach, which covers all bases in order to educate employees in an interactive way – which will lead to a change in behaviour.

Here are some best practices for improving cyber security awareness with employees:

1. Make cyber security clear to your employees

Avoid using technical jargon when discussing cyber security, think about how you can make the topic relatable – less about the central network, and more about personal computer safety.

2. Encourage taking care of devices

Employees need to know the difference between personal and corporate usage on their devices, as well as understanding the importance of OS updates and security patches.

3. Teach employees how to spot suspicious activity 

It is important that staff are aware of how cybercriminals can attack your business, from strange pop-ups appearing, to a computer slowing down, new extensions in the browser, or the sudden appearance of new programmes on their devices.

4. Reinforce the importance of confidentiality

Working from home can make employees more complacent, so it is important that they understand the importance of passwords and two-factor authentication. Periodic password changes are important, as are using VPNs when working from public places.

5. Make cyber security awareness an ongoing conversation

Cyber security isn’t just a one-time thing, regular updates need to take place – which staff need to be made aware of. You could send regular newsletters out to let employees know of updates they need to carry out on their devices, or if there are any new cyber security trends that they need to be aware of.

It is also important that your IT provider is fully trained when it comes to cyber security, providing an extra layer of protection for your business. For more information on how Reality Solutions can help support your business with its cyber security, get in touch today – 01482 828000.

*This article contains general information in order to assist all of our customers and is meant for guidance only – there are no guarantees that the information we provide will be suitable for your particular needs. If you require specific assistance, we recommend that you seek professional guidance on your individual circumstances. Reality Solutions are in no way responsible for any loss or damage arising from any information contained within our articles.