New employees are a great opportunity to establish the processes and best practices that will keep your internal company data safe and secure. Making sure that new employees know and understand the risks inherent in their work, and arming them with the tools and knowledge they need to do their best work is critical. Here are three essential ways you can improve your hiring process, and make sure your team is doing everything they can to protect company data.
Data Security Training
Everyone learns slightly differently. The goal of a security focused onboarding process is not to enforce uniformity in the learning styles but instead to deliver a great first impression and provide other relevant information. You will have the most success in grabbing and retaining the attention of a large audience if the onboarding process incorporates flexibility. This could mean having multiple different delivery mediums such as in person sessions, online information, onboarding videos, and group sessions versus a more personalized session. Different people will find different parts of the content more appealing to them. It is important that the delivery mechanism is tailored towards that and lets employees go at their own pace. But all of them should understand the key elements of your security procedures.
Reinforce a Security Culture
The increase in cyber security concerns calls for an increase in cyber security awareness in the corporate sector. Best practices such as these should become second nature to your staff and should be woven in to the workplace culture as a whole. It takes focus and effort every day to make sure you and your employees are making the right decisions when it comes to your digital security. But a strong security culture can help support that effort more than any software program or un-guessable password. Sharing the knowledge needed to educate employees about the risks involved with cloud storage, data security, and malware protection, partnered with taking the necessary precautions to protect the security of the company is the first step toward building a strong culture of security.
Teach Smart Data Management (Both Online and Offline)
Accessing files remotely can expose your company and your data. Make sure you and your staff know how to work on the road without exposing your company to any unnecessary risks. Keep software and hardware up to date and fully functional. Avoid logging on to the corporate intranet when connected to a questionable network or hot-spot. Don’t allow employees to use unprotected devices or download unnecessary or unapproved apps or software programs. Make sure that when employees are out and about their work computers are protected in case of theft or damage. Make sure that your team is not exposing your data when they are on the road or at home.
Additionally, many large data breaches are linked back to negligence in password protection. There are several common mistakes that can have serious consequences when it comes to protecting online information. The repeated use of passwords across multiple different accounts is still one of the top entry points for hackers. Using strong passwords should be a top priority. Try to make passwords that are difficult to guess but easy to remember. Try using a phrase style password, but only use the first letter or number of each word. The key is to avoid creating passwords with recognizable words as those are easy to guess or hack.
With these tips, you can build a strong foundation that will help prevent data breaches. Connect with the team at Happy Faces Records Management today to learn how we can help.
