According to a new survey by Sophos on employee usage behaviour, near all – 96 percent – of respondents (IT professionals) do not trust their end users to make sound IT security decisions.
According to the IT security product firm the survey results highlight the need to educate employees on IT security issues and best practices. To help with this Sophos has developed a new free training tool for IT professionals—“IT Security DOs and DON’Ts” (http://www.sophos.com/staysafe).
In the survey, Sophos asked 150 IT professionals from around the globe several questions about employee IT usage behaviour. Additional highlights include:
* 48 per cent of respondents fix security issues caused by end user negligence at least once a week
* 26pc of respondents say senior management commits the worst IT security offences
* And 19pc of respondents say that IT commits the worst IT security offences
According to the firm these results underscore the impact that a lack of understanding security policies and best practices—in every department and at all levels of an organisation—can have on an IT infrastructure. The free “IT Security DOs and DON’Ts” kit includes materials such as:
* Launch guide with quick tips for IT professionals to begin an educational programme
* IT Security DOs and DON’Ts posters and handbook for end users with top 10 tips
* Bite-sized reminder email templates
* Password DOs and DON’Ts one-pager to help end users create strong passwords
* PowerPoint presentation for IT professionals to use for trainings, etc.
“Creating a comprehensive security policy is difficult enough without having employees accidently subverting the protocols we have in place. However, taking the time to create an all-encompassing educational campaign can be too time consuming,” said Damian Barry, president, Global Business Technology, a Sophos network security partner who helps its customers with education as well as protection. “Using the programme that Sophos has developed rather than creating something from scratch will help me keep my clients informed so I can continue focusing on other tasks.”
“We provide organisations with everything they need to protect their networks—from a suite of complete security solutions to educational tools,” said Mark Harris, vice president, SophosLabs, Sophos. “We’re excited that we have been able to transform our security expertise into a range of educational tools that will both inform and entertain.”
For additional information on the “IT Security DOs and DON’Ts” programme, visit: www.sophos.com/staysafe.
