Creating Company Culture Around Security

Most companies now, small or big, rely on the internet and technology to run their businesses. New developments in IT are continually making more businesses, and people rely on technology. The reliance on Cyberspace makes system security a top priority in any organization. In business, a provision for a safe working environment is inevitable. You, therefore, need to create a company culture geared towards security in all areas, including cyberspace.

Users Education

Research indicates that over 15 billion IoT devices are today connected to the internet through cloud or machine to machine communication. Hackers are lurking to access company data at all costs. With many businesses and individuals moving to cloud technology instead of traditional information systems, data security is exposed to more threats.

With so many uncontrolled gadgets sharing the internet, security breach becomes rampant. There is a need to train employees on cybersecurity continually. Hackers are often changing tactics and inventing new threats, hence the need for continuous learning. Technology is also dynamic, and companies introduce new devices every other time. There is, therefore, no end to learning on how to keep the system safe from unwanted intruders.

To make the training effective, keep it focused and concise. Do not delve in non-related issues. Creating training that concentrates on your organization’s needs is also a great way of effective training. Your employees will relate to the training with instances they are familiar with, hence more success. Consider breaking the sessions into short time sessions instead of long hour’s segments to increase the retention and interest. Though the sessions may seem many when divided, they are useful.

Lectures are boring and few people like sitting for hours listening to them. Making training interactive is another way of increasing effectiveness. There are many distractions today that would steal the attention of the listeners. Make the sessions interactive to capture and maintain their focus. Let the learners participate actively in training.  While at it, avoid deep technical terminologies to ensure everyone understands.

Measures, like creating strong passwords and changing them regularly, are crucial information to all system users. Teaching them what intruders can do is a great way to start. Ensure that they know the dangers of using the business or organization internet to access their gadgets and social media platforms. This provides easy access for hackers into the system. Anyone with access to the system needs to understand the associated risks to the business.

Identify Possible Threats and Establish a Data Security Process

Before setting data security measures, every organization needs to identify potential threats. Risk assessment matrix helps organizations increase the visibility of the risks that threaten the system. It is a system visual presentation of a risk analysis. The organization will need to set objectives and risk tolerance levels as well as define, assess, and analyze risks. Eventually, you will have to establish ways to mitigate the risks.

Building stable structures and processes to keep the systems and data safe is crucial. Establishments should invest in data securing processes. There are many ways to keep data safe, apart from the ones that users employ. Businesses should establish a secure firewall that will prevent unauthorized entry to your network. A firewall protects the internet in and out of the company, hence protecting your network.

Investing in a reliable and trusted antivirus and anti-malware solution is a tried and tested way of securing your systems. Encryption software will help as well hence the need to buy. Also, buy secure and quality hardware and systems to keep hackers away. You can also consider purchasing password builders software to help create and store the passwords securely.

Securing data through disk encryption is a common system security measure today. Data encryption technology takes place in both the hardware and software. It involves converting data into an unreadable format that are inaccessible, and no one can decipher.

Just like any other investment, data security needs a budget. Though you cannot measure the ROI, investing in security is one of the crucial necessary cost of doing business.

Develop a Security Culture

All the system security efforts will remain a dream if the culture is not inculcated in all users. There is a need for constant reminder and sensitization of the burden to ensure data security at all levels of the organization. Once users are duly educated and embrace the system security matters, they will adopt permanent behavioral changes towards cyberspace security. The corporate culture of security awareness fosters good practices that become the second nature and helps guard against social engineering attacks. An individual, aware of the risks that their gadgets possess to the entire organization data, will desist from exposing the business to hackers and other intruders.

You need to instill the sense of responsibility to individuals within the organization. It gives the users a sense of where their behavior befits within the organizational structure. Also, have clear communication lines with the organizational structure to help ease communication and understand the structure. This helps in creating the awareness of every individual’s responsibility within the security awareness domain.

Send out awareness reminders specific to threat or risks that the business has experienced. Citing examples that hit closer home is more relatable and compelling. Apart from creating risk awareness, there is a need to develop a culture of awareness by empowering employees to be able to spot the threats. Dishing large numbers of documents to users is less productive compared to showing them how security is part of their daily actions.

Putting it All Together

Data breaches and system threats are part of life today. With data breaches on the rise and marketplaces where this data can be sold by bad actors, cybersecurity threats are here to stay. System users are the first and last line of defense. A strong culture, the right security posturing, and utilizing proven strategies will ensure that your systems are safe. All you need to do is to bring everyone on board as far as data security is concerned. System security is everyone’s responsibility in any company working with sensitive data.