The #1 Security Threat To ANY Business Is…You! Like it or not, almost all security breaches in business are due to an employee clicking, downloading or opening a file that’s infected, either on a website or in an e-mail; once a hacker gains entry, they use that person’s e-mail and/or access to infect all the other PCs on the network. Phishing e-mails (an e-mail cleverly designed to look like a legitimate e-mail from a website or vendor you trust) are still a very common occurrence – and spam filtering and antivirus cannot protect your network if an employee is clicking on and downloading the virus. That’s why it’s CRITICAL that you educate all of your employees in how to spot an infected e-mail or online scam. Cybercriminals are EXTREMELY clever and can dupe even sophisticated computer users. All it takes is one slipup, so constantly reminding and educating your employees is critical.

On that same theme, the next precaution is implementing an Acceptable Use Policy. An AUP outlines how employees are permitted to use company-owned PCs, devices, software, Internet access and e-mail. We strongly recommend putting a policy in place that limits the websites employees can access with work devices and Internet connectivity. Further, you have to enforce your policy with content-filtering software and firewalls. We can easily set up permissions and rules that will regulate what websites your employees access and what they do online during company hours and with company-owned devices, giving certain users more “freedom” than others.

Having this type of policy is particularly important if your employees are using their own personal devices and home computers to access company e-mail and data. With so many applications in the cloud, an employee can access a critical app from any device with a browser, which exposes you considerably.

If an employee is logging in to critical company cloud apps through an infected or unprotected, unmonitored device, it can be a gateway for a hacker to enter YOUR network – which is why we don’t recommend you allow employees to work remote or from home via their own personal devices.

Second, if that employee leaves, are you allowed to erase company data from their phone or personal laptop? If their phone is lost or stolen, are you permitted to remotely wipe the device – which would delete all of that employee’s photos, videos, texts, etc. – to ensure YOUR clients’ information isn’t compromised?

Further, if the data in your organization is highly sensitive, such as patient records, credit card information, financial information and the like, you may not be legally permitted to allow employees to access it on devices that are not secured, but that doesn’t mean an employee might not innocently “take work home.” If it’s a company-owned device, you need to detail what an employee can or cannot do with that device, including “rooting” or “jailbreaking” the device to circumvent
security mechanisms you put in place.

Get the facts and be certain your business, your reputation, and your data are protected. Call us at 614-895-8000 or you can e-mail me personally at <span><a href=”mailto:ed@techsn.com”>ed@techsn.com</a></span>.  You can also use this link to immediately schedule your audit:   <span><a href=”http://techsn.setmore.com”>Schedule My FREE Cyber Securtiy Audit Now!</a></span>