For any business, regardless of size or industry, considering and subsequently minimising cyber security threats is crucial to keeping important information safe. But despite this, most companies still don’t train their employees on cyber threats and keeping data secure. Worse still, a lot of businesses prevent workers from being vigilant online by fear-mongering about the dangers themselves. Thus, many managers don’t know the best way to approach digital security.
Why cyber security is important
It is imperative that we stress that whilst scaring staff is largely ineffective at improving security, the dangers of cyber threats are certainly real. In 2017, a survey by IT Security Risks suggested that as many as 49% of companies experienced attacks by viruses or malware. The same survey also found that smaller businesses felt more at risk from inappropriate or dangerous IT use by their employees, with 48% being fearful of this compared to 39% of larger enterprises.
Over the last few years these issues have remained constant, especially in the past 9 months with COVID-related digital scams and the rise of remote working.
What do we mean by “keeping calm”?
Given how vital cyber security is to overall business safety, it’s perhaps understandable that managers may want to implement strict employee training. But over-emphasising the consequences of data breaches, or the dangers of doing or not doing something, may have the opposite intended effect. For instance, if culture of fear is created around cyber security, an employee may be less likely to report a software issue, for fear of harsh punishment or that they did something fatally wrong. They might even attempt to fix the issue themselves, which can often cause more harm than good.
What’s the recommended approach?
Whilst focusing on the dangers of cyber security may prompt a short-term response, your employees might not learn anything in the long run. So, alternatives that should insure a calmer approach to the risks of digital work include the following:
Provide flexible resources – Tools such as password managers and encrypted memory sticks can reassure employees and help them adjust to tougher security protocols.
Create support-based measures – This involves pairing employees to report issues as well as having members of staff with additional security knowledge in order to offer extra guidance.
A friendlier, more casual approach – Using humour in your training, including employees in wider business security discussions, and frequently supplying brief educational content can all level lasting impressions.
Above all, this approach needs to be matched with a coherent and accessible training program. Thus, you
can read our advice on Training Your Staff In 2021 Here. You can also find more News on Cyber Security Here.
