Every organisation is packed with assets, from their premises to their information and data.
Identifying which assets are vital is important in gaining your competitive advantage, continuing operation, and more importantly, achieving business success.
In addition, understanding these assets allow you to create a starting point in your cyber security planning procedure. Business leaders fail to realise that people are often the most challenging but also the most valuable part of the cybersecurity equation.
Technology, encryption, and firewalls are most certainly the pillars of cybersecurity. There are still a few things that artificial intelligence (AI) and computers can’t detect which still needs personal supervision.
Here is why you should not blame your people for data breaches:
1. Not all data breaches are equal
System and network intrusions affect companies in a multitude of ways. A huge factor when evaluating risk is the type of data that is exposed.
The primary cause of data breaches? Process and human error. Although this does not suggest that people are the problem.
Take a sporting event for instance. More often than not, when our favourite team loses, we blame the team. Perhaps we should be asking an entirely different set of questions such as; What was the strategy? Was there enough training and resource?
In applying this analogy to your business, you’re able to stir up a different discussion, ask a different set of questions that could generate new ideas. These ideas could both strengthen your security systems but also reveal glitches in your system.
It is essential to remember that poor cybersecurity behaviour can often be a result of a systematic problem instead of an individual mistake.
2. Humans can recognise relevant information
While computers have the ability to recognise or calculate faces, it takes them time to distribute tasks from its CPU to its subsystems to be able to do things. Humans, on the other hand, are not only able to acquire and process new information but can also decide what is relevant, thereby, decreasing the chances of invulnerability.
No single technology solution can address the most urgent security issues of today. Instead, business leaders should see to it that they are not only investing in security-driven technologies but also creating a security-conscious workplace.
A human firewall has the skill to stop humans from being the weak link in your cybersecurity. It enables your users to think about the safety of their environment. Educating your employees on the different kinds of threats lets you build an efficient and vigilant human firewall.
A business that spends time educating its employees about why cybersecurity is important will eventually recognise that their people can be their greatest asset in the fight against internet crime.
3. Investing in people – Your biggest cybersecurity asset
A recent study revealed that approximately 64% of cyber-attacks resulted in careless behaviour of a contingent worker or staff member.
It’s not that the employees have malicious intent, but often it’s a lack of awareness that results in an attack.
A well-educated workforce that’s involved in keeping the physical and virtual workplace secure will help minimise the risk of attack.
Take a look at these top two cybersecurity tips to teach your employees. This will help strengthen your level of information security as well as the asset management of your company:
1. Software downloads
Most employees completely believe that software downloads are secure as long as the software itself is downloaded from a reputable brand. What most do not understand is that where you got it from is just as imperative as what you download.
The internet is loaded with a plethora of sites which provide everyone with free versions of almost anything. These free versions are brimming with various types of malware which include, but not limited to worms, Trojan horses, viruses and spyware.
To avoid this, it’s advisable to set download limits to business machines and make sure your team understands them. We also recommend that all downloads are operated through a spyware scanner or a reputable anti-virus. Safety is our game ?
We can’t stress this enough, but teaching your employees to update company programs occasionally can make your system less vulnerable. Awareness and diligence will be your key to safety.
2. Spam and phishing
Just last year, the anti-phishing system was triggered more than 400 million times. In addition to that, mail traffic spam in businesses also rose to 52.48%.
What do these numbers mean?
It’s time to begin educating everyone about spam and phishing techniques.
Spam and phishing awareness will enable your employees to quickly detect malicious emails and will allow them to react immediately.
Conducting spam and phishing awareness training, you will be adding value to your prevailing security attentiveness initiatives.
Key Takeaways
Juniper Research indicates that cybercrimes have amounted to approximately $2 trillion in revenue loss for 2019 alone.
Education may seem like a light tactic, but it’s not. When done correctly, it can ensure your company’s safety and security, and ultimately save your company’s bacon.
Why not test the IAM maturity of your company to see what areas of your company are at risk and what you can do to ensure ultimate protection. Simply click the button below to get started ?
