Many small businesses make the mistake of assuming that they’re too insignificant to be the target of a cybersecurity attack. But the data says otherwise. According to research by Accenture, 43% of cyber attacks target small businesses. Worse, only a little over one in 10 small businesses (14%) know how to protect themselves.
Think of it this way: If your business had to shut down its IT systems for a week, how much would it cost you in sales? How many customers would you lose?
The new normal of working from home throws yet another potential spanner in your cybersecurity protocols. As employees leave the confines of your on-premise firewalls and servers, you’ll need to make sure they know how to manage their access to corporate data and prevent costly security mistakes.
This is where cybersecurity training comes in.
No IT system is completely safe against attackers. But training addresses the biggest cybersecurity risk in your business: your workers. In fact, IBM notes that 95% of IT security breaches are caused by human error.
Still not convinced? Here are three reasons your remote teams need cybersecurity training now.
1. Cybersecurity Training Promotes Good Email Habits
Email is the low-hanging fruit of security exploits, so much so that 92% of all cyber incidents in organisations occur through email — half involve a “phishing scam.”
A phishing email is a cleverly disguised malicious message, often calling on the recipient to take action. For example, an employee can receive a message on their company email address telling them that “HR” has found a discrepancy in their timesheets. The message tells the employee to log into a spoof website — which can be a complete clone of their HR portal — to rectify the problem.
Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to detect the signs of a phishing email. Through training, you can set guidelines for email practices and inform your entire remote workforce that your business would never use email for sensitive matters.
2. Training Puts Security Guidelines on Paper
Businesses with co-located teams typically have an easier time managing access to malicious sites to prevent malware and spyware attacks.
But with your people now working remotely, you’ll need training that empowers teams to be proactive about cybersecurity. Training will also ensure that your cybersecurity policies are placed in a handbook or knowledge base — something employees can always go back to as a reference.
Critical cybersecurity policies should include:
- Email management guidelines
- Username and password guidelines
- Personal/mobile device management
- How to use a VPN (if necessary)
- Guidelines for connecting to public/unsecured wireless networks
3. Training Helps You Comply with Data Protection Laws
Data protection laws such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK’s Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and the USA’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) have different requirements but share strict provisions for the management of users’ personal data.
These protocols also emphasise the importance of cybersecurity training. For example, the GDPR requires organisations to take the appropriate “technical and organisational measures to prevent unauthorised processing of personal data you hold.”
One way to do that is to ensure your remote teams know how to manage their usernames and passwords to prevent data breaches.
Investing in Cybersecurity Training Makes Perfect Business Sense
Cybersecurity is a serious issue that should not be taken lightly. According to the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report of 2019, cybersecurity attacks cost businesses an average of $200,000 per incident. That’s enough money to scuttle many small businesses for good.
In other words, it makes perfect business sense for any small business owner to dedicate time and resources to cybersecurity training for their remote staff. Work-from-home set-ups are shaping up to be the future of work. Training helps you address the security risks of remote work before they become expensive incidents.
As if choosing the right HR software wasn’t difficult enough, there is also the challenge of identifying your organization’s HR needs. Here are the challenges and considerations to keep in mind when https://www.peoplehum. com/blog/things-to-consider-when-buying-an-hr-software-in-egypt”