How many times in the past year have you read about a cybersecurity breach, where sensitive customer or client information has been accessed by bad actors?

It’s a real risk to your company, no matter what kind of work you do, and it’s something all your employees need to realize. They also need to understand their role in keeping data safe, your website from being hacked and the importance of keeping sensitive information protected.

Here’s how to start making your employees more security aware and to provide the training they need.

First, get a sense of awareness and knowledge.

How much does your team know about cybersecurity risks and how to address them? Start with something simple, like an anonymous survey from an internal expert, to get a sense of everyone’s knowledge, or provide the opportunity for people to ask questions to determine where information gaps might exist. You might find a variety of skill and understanding levels, which will help you determine how to proceed with the next step, which is …

Identify potential safety gaps and start drafting protective policies.

Based on what your team knows, and doesn’t know, you can start building safety measures and training needs to bring them up to where they need to be. You’ll also have to consider, from a company standpoint, who the most important gatekeepers are and should be, in order to develop a comprehensive cybersecurity approach that will put those in direct contact and interaction with the most sensitive information in a position to best defend it. This might involve your web team, engineers or an IT department, possibly including legal or senior management advisors as well. From there, you’ll need to outline everyone’s role, from the top down, and create systems and overlaps to identify weaknesses, corrective actions and safety measures that will be upheld by every employee. You might need to develop different approaches for different types of risk based on your industry, but you’ll want to consult with a cybersecurity expert in order to ensure you’re thinking of everything. Outline who needs to be notified and when and if a security lapse is uncovered, or if a breach has been identified. Make sure your security system and protocol are reviewed and checked on a regular basis.

Line up expert training and review your protocols often.

Once you’ve written and reviewed your cybersecurity protocol, it’s time to train, train, train. Start with the basics and build from there. Provide the right training to the right teams, complete with quizzes along the way to make sure everything is sinking in. If this is a brand new conversation for your employees, offer the training again in six months to help reinforce the new information and really drive home the key points they need to remember. Some employees might have more of an interest in this than others, and some employees might have a bigger role to play, so be prepared to offer additional training for those who need or want to be more involved. Set up a regular schedule of cybersecurity reminders and tip emails to your whole company in order to keep these lessons top-of-mind. Establish regular timers for your employees to change their passwords, as a basic step, to keep your internal programs and processes safer. Cover all the bases, from phishing scams and the importance of a strong password to viruses that can come in through email.

Cybersecurity is something that is both complex and manageable, but it takes time and dedication to make sure it is done correctly, without leaving any gaps or weaknesses that could create big, costly problems that might end up damaging your reputation. Start with the basics and build, reinforcing all steps as you go. Like physical safety, cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility!

Looking For Cybersecurity Experts in Hawaii?

For more advice on protecting your company’s sensitive data, or for help in finding a cybersecurity expert to bring onto your team, call Bishop & Company. We can help you find great job candidates with the expertise and background you’re looking for, in cybersecurity and beyond. Call Bishop today and let’s get to work.