The Get Cyber Safe campaign has a simple message: Whether you’re in an office or working from home, it’s important that your business takes cybersecurity seriously.iStockPhoto / Getty Images
You’ve probably seen them in the news lately – large data breaches of major companies resulting in the loss of critical business functions, which leads to reduced customer trust and major economic fallout. Criminals are no longer physically breaking into offices; they’re online, and they’re looking for any weaknesses they can find to compromise your business.
Whether you’re in an office or working from home, it’s important that your business takes cybersecurity seriously. Making your business cyber secure is a team effort and, like other business operations, it takes support and action from both management and employees to achieve peak performance. Here are a few things to consider if you want to keep your business safe from online threats.
Create strong policies
A strong business plan starts from the top with strong policies, and it’s the same when it comes to cyber-security. The best way to stay cyber safe is to have clear, direct instructions and training that is readily available. Creating an overarching cybersecurity plan ensures that everyone is on the same page when it comes to things like verifying payments or dealing with phishing attempts. It’s a great idea to assign roles or form a cybersecurity task force that can monitor current trends and that keeps the whole team motivated to follow the plan.
With many offices transitioned to remote or hybrid workspaces, having a strong cybersecurity plan in place keeps everyone following the same guidelines. Separate workspaces mean more networks and devices for cyber criminals to try to infiltrate. Securing your business networks becomes securing private networks when employees are working from home, and that’s much easier to do when everyone knows how important it is. Make sure all employees install anti-virus software and enable automatic updates on their devices. Simple things like this can go a long way to securing your business. Review cybersecurity guidelines as part of your training practices for new employees. If you make cybersecurity a part of your business with strong policies, it’s easy for employees to see it as an integral part of their job.
Empower employees
Cybersecurity is a team effort. One employee’s mistake could lead to a virus being installed on a work device and infecting your entire system. It’s important to establish cybersecurity as a fundamental part of your business so that employees take their own cybersecurity seriously. Being cyber safe involves individual action, like staying alert and watching out for scams. Scams, such as phishing or spear-phishing, often specifically target businesses. Everyone in your business should know the red flags to watch out for, and it should be company policy to verify suspicious links or contacts. Develop training and awareness programs for your employees about cybersecurity.
Create challenges or activities that get everyone involved. For example, see what department can report the most scam emails in a month. When employees are actively engaged and diligent in their personal cybersecurity, it reflects in the overall business security as well. You’ll find that many cybersecurity tactics used at work can translate into your personal life, especially if both applications are sharing a device.
Conclusion
There is an increasing possibility your business could be targeted by cyber criminals. Creating strong policies and empowering employees to make cybersecurity a part of their work routine will help secure your business from online threats.
SOURCE: getcybersafe.ca
Get Cyber Safe is a national public awareness campaign created to inform Canadians about cybersecurity and the simple steps they can take to protect themselves online.
Advertising feature produced by Randall Anthony Communications. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.