6 RIDICULOUSLY SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE SECURITY TIPS TO KEEP A BUSINESS SAFE

Every employee has one unavoidable defect that jeopardizes your company's success.

They're only human.

59 percent of data breaches may be traced back to an employee doing (or not doing) something which invited a cyber-attack.

To keep hackers away, include security awareness and training into your company culture, such that preserving digital security becomes as second nature as making the office coffee.

6 Quick Tips

1. Utilize complex passwords: Every employee, including management, should be required to use a unique alphanumeric password that includes special characters. Password managers may help ensure that passwords are never forgotten.

2. Validate unknown identities: Are you unfamiliar with 'Jenny from Accounting,' who has called to request sensitive information? Before disclosing any information, double-check the caller's identity and access permissions. Hackers love to take advantage of our desire to help others.

3. Encrypt by default: People frequently move data to a laptop or smartphone to work more efficiently. Regrettably, this equipment is readily stolen. So configure operating systems to encrypt data by default, rendering it unusable in the wrong hands.

4. Protect portable devices: Laptops and phones should always require a password and be set to auto-lock after a brief period of inactivity. Never leave them alone in automobiles, buses, or toilets, and never transport them as carry-on luggage.

5. Set personal usage rules: While you may have banned productivity vacuums like Facebook, what about gaming, video streaming, and shopping? Is it possible for them to install their own software? When company computers are used for personal purposes, security attention lapses, resulting in unintended malware installation.

6. Educate often: Digital security risks evolve constantly, and consumers grow accustomed to a certain degree of risk, believing that 'it will never happen to me.' A 5-minute talk once a month might be the critical barrier that keeps hackers out.

Starter Topics for Discussion with Your People:

Links in emails – Hackers frequently send emails that appear to be from your bank or a similar organization. Make sure to check the link by hovering your cursor over it. This type of email is referred to as 'phishing.'

**Tech scam popups – **Keep an eye out for popups informing you that your computer has been infected and that you must call a number or download software.

**Email attachments – **Never open an unfamiliar attachment. Always scan for viruses before opening attachments, even from someone you know and trust.

Conclusion

Ensure you are conducting regular security awareness training and having regular discussions with your employees about cybersecurity. Make it a part of your company culture.

Start developing IT policies and processes to support your IT Security Management today!

Joe "Rhino" Brochin is launching ITSM RHINO in the coming months, it is the pull-no-punches, casual-but-effective resource for renegade IT Pros who want to manage risk and add value through ITSM processes & IT Policy.
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