You probably already know what a data breach can cost you and that that the chances of your business surviving in the medium to long-term after a successful cyberattack isn’t good. Apart from the initial financial cost of whatever data is stolen or ransomed, there is also the trust that is lost with your customers and business partners and their reluctance to continue to deal with you.
For this reason, network security needs to be a top-level concern. Types of network security will vary from company to company, depending on the amount of data that is held and the number of people who need to access that data. However, no matter how tight the security measures in place are, the chances are any successful cyberattack will be as a result of human error.
For this reason, ensuring that every member of your team has the training to be aware of cyberthreats (and the ability to apply that training) can be of paramount importance. With this in mind, here are a few measures you can put in place to help safeguard your data while your team is working remotely.
#1 End-User Training
Making your team aware of cyber threats is not a simple task. Not everybody now working remotely will be as ‘tech-savvy’ as others, as the only practical experience they have is what they have gained at work. All of these staff members need to be made aware of the threats that are involved and a few common-sense methods to combat them.
This training may be better left to a member of the cybersecurity team, who can show them examples of what to watch out for and also give them a point of contact for anything they perceive as a threat. This is important as team members who are unfamiliar with technology might fear ridicule if they report something that is not a threat.
#2 Reassess The Productivity Of Your Team
A lot has changed for your team now they are working remotely. They have gone from a controlled office environment to one where they may not have a dedicated space to work and may instead be trying to complete their tasks sat in the middle of a busy kitchen and surrounded by distractions they would not have at the office.
This, in turn, can affect their productivity, which means they may rush or attempt to take shortcuts to meet deadlines. This type of behavior can lead to making hasty decisions when dealing with communication from outside and lead to them clicking on or opening an attachment they otherwise would not. This can be avoided to a degree by adjusting deadlines to address this change in environment and circumstances, lessening pressure on your team.
#3 Ensure Your Team Is Properly Equipped
The move from office to home also means the resources your team members have access to will have changed and will vary from person to person. As mentioned above, some of your team might now be working while sitting at their kitchen table, which means they are spending all day sitting on a dining chair and not the ergonomic chair they had at the office. While this might seem trivial, small discomforts like this can contribute to larger problems.
Also, with some of the office resources unavailable, team members may search online for replacements, which can lead to them visiting websites and creating accounts at websites they would not normally use. While this may very well be harmless, it exposes a device to a risk it would not normally have to take.
#4 The Overall Well-being Of Your Team
When working from home, many bosses may feel that their team is taking it easy when often the opposite is true. The temptation to work late when at home can be strong and often seen as a positive when it can actually cause more problems than it solves. An overworked, tired member of staff is more likely to not spot a suspect email and become an unwitting accomplice to a cybercrime.
This also extends to the overall well-being of your team. The current situation has caused higher levels of stress and anxiety, and this affects judgment across the board. By operating an ‘open door’ policy (virtually at least) for employees to let off steam or seek some support, you can help to keep your team more focussed and less likely to make the kind of error that allows a cyberattack to gain entry to your network.
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