Network security for any business refers to the protection of the integrity of its network and data. Cyber threats to businesses are a common sight these days. Despite having a sound monitoring infrastructure, preventive intrusion programs, and security software, your network security still heavily relies on your employees and their activities. That’s why employee education should be a major part of technology training and running your company.
Employees are the ones exposed to cyber attacks the most and for this reason, it becomes crucial for your business to invest heavily in their training and awareness programs. Your employees need to be educated and well trained on network security instances since they have access to confidential information and other valuable assets of the organization.
Here are some of the ways you can educate your employees about network security:
- Social engineering – Train your employees on how to spot suspicious emails. Teach them to know when to delete an email and if they are not sure whether it is a good or spam email who exactly to forward the suspicious email too.
- Tell employees what to do– Train employees on how they should respond to an actual threat and what course of action is available to them in that scenario. What to do if their system is infected by malware? Do they call the help-desk for immediate action? Should they immediately turn off the computer? Employees need to know how to respond to such incidents as well as how to avoid them.
- Policies – Help employees understand the security protocols by formalizing and documenting related Standard Operating Procedures and Network Security Policies. Distribute them among employees for their understanding and implementation along with their feedback and update these policies on a frequent basis to ensure effective compliance.
- Enable employee participation – your employees should be encouraged to say something when they notice any strange activities on their computer
- Employee Training – Network intruders, are constantly trying cleverly to trick users into gaining access to their system. Helping your employees to stay ahead of them is critically important for your network’s security. They can receive initial training in this regard during their hiring and orientation. However, that’s not enough, as users still need to regularly go through training programs and reminders every now and then to keep them updated and well informed about potential threats.
Additional Resources:
How to make your business hacker safe
Training Your Employees on Information Security Awareness
Tips for involving workers in cybersecurity
