Steps you can take today to mitigate the potential of employee data breaches
If you run a company, you’re more than likely aware of the dangers that lurk online and the potential for data breaches coming from external sources. It’s currently estimated around one in five Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have suffered a cybercrime attack – with around 60% of those subsequently going bust within six months of the breach.
However, perhaps even more worryingly, in our modern connected age, there’s an even greater risk facing firms – namely, the dangers posed by internal attacks. It’s currently estimated around 85% – yes, you read that right – 85% of all data breaches are caused by human intervention or error. The sad truth is, whether it be by malicious intent or just accidental mistakes, your employees are most often the weakest link in your firm’s security armory.
Four ideas to help reduce the risk of employee data leaks
By taking some simple steps now, you could reduce and even largely eliminate the likelihood of staff data breaches. Below are listed just a few ideas:
Be mindful of the issues potentially caused by BYOD: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) problems are one of the greatest threats facing modern firms. As soon as you let an employee access your network using one of their own gadgets, you open your company to a potential minefield of issues. Sure, you may have already installed bulletproof security on your network, but that will do little to protect you if your staff hasn’t taken the same meticulous steps to safeguard their own mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc. As a general rule, you’re far safer to block employees using their gadgets on your internal network and instead issue verified secured devices.
Limit access within your premises: While you might need access to your entire building, the same cannot be said for all your employees. If you want to maintain a tight rein on your most important data, consider limiting who goes where with an access control system. By limiting access, you’ll be able to protect your company’s most sensitive files.
Educate your staff: The majority of data breaches are caused by simple human error. Hackers are constantly coming up with new and inventive ways to sneak their way into confidential data – one of the latest being via phishing attacks that intentionally prey on our innate human instinct to trust. One of the best ways to protect your firm is to ensure that all employees are adequately trained in the risks that are posed by being online.
Outsource your IT to a cloud service provider: In the not-so-distant past, companies had little choice but to run IT networks in-house. However, with the recent advances in tech, connection speeds and coding, it’s now perfectly feasible (and affordable) for firms to outsource their IT services to cloud computing providers. Working with a cloud networking firm, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with 24/7/365 support, backup and industry-leading protection.
