When it comes to network security, proper training is the key to a successful strategy. Cybersecurity is important to any growing business and with hundreds of employees in control of your data, there are at least that many ways something can go wrong. With this being said, it then comes as no surprise to find that some companies decide to implement lease privilege solutions, for example, in the hopes of preventing cyber-attacks on their business and potentially stealing confidential information. It is always best to be safe than sorry.
Awareness and training, combined with breaking them into specific user groups, can ensure the safety and protection of your data. What are these specific user groups? Every business has five different user categories that their employees and other personnel fall into. These are general users, privileged users, senior executives, security personnel and customers and vendors. These groups are important as they allow access to certain types of information without giving full access to everything.
Once you have your employees broken down into groups, proper training must begin. Training must be ongoing and it must be manageable. If employees become overloaded, they will not retain the information and errors could be made. Don’t expect employees, vendors, and customers to understand or even be aware of the rules when it comes to cybersecurity. Teach them at the most basic of instructional levels and continue to teach the material to keep them up to date. If needs be, consider contacting a cybersecurity firm to help with the training. Options such as C2 cyber can help give that extra knowledge and expertise that can make the training even more effective and memorable, but if you wish to remain in-house for your security training then ensure that the instructor is ready for questions on the matter.
By following these three simple steps, you can make network security commonplace in the workplace.
Inform Them. Be sure to inform your employees and let them know why cybersecurity is important to you and your business. Look at your current standards and see where they can be improved. Being proactive will give your employees the training they need and show them how they can make the cybersecurity process more streamlined and less intrusive. Run security testing on your software and network whenever possible to ensure that it is protected from external sources.
Scare Them. Users must understand that your company, and therefore their jobs are at stake if they don’t adhere to your network security rules. By helping them to understand what it could mean for the company, you will give them a better understanding of why they should do everything they can to protect the company’s data.
Help Them. Don’t just push the material and leave it up to the users to absorb it. Give them a chance to participate in the training course improvement by asking their opinion on the course material and if they have any ideas that could improve your network security strategy. Make it easy for them to voice their ideas and to report any cybersecurity issues they may encounter. Help them, help you.
By becoming a part of the training program rather than just going through the motions, you can effectively train all of your employees, customers, vendors, and users and help them to understand your cybersecurity mission.