Cyber Security – it’s not just the ‘IT Guys’ job

A recent survey by Census delved into the deep dark world of Cyber Security. Its results are quite astonishing.

‘63% had been down to user error.’

Organisations across the UK were asked if they had some form of security breach, 89% of which said yes. Of that 89%, a staggering 63% said it was due to human error.

Whenever a breach occurs the usual suspect, or the first person you think to point blame at is the IT guy or provider. Yes, they have the overall responsibility for any tech or control of systems, but if ‘you’ as an individual click on an email, or you enter your payment details into something you shouldn’t, then that is not your IT team or providers fault, but your own.

 Although having an outsourced IT provider takes the weight off of a business’s shoulders knowing their business is in secure hands, there are ways in which staff can internally help prevent the worst from happening by adapting and making Cyber Security part of their daily business culture.

‘Whether you ’re a multi-million corporation or a small business not knowing about cyber security and how you can ‘do your bit’ as a member of staff could be disastrous.’

The thought of a security breach can spread panic and be quite daunting to any member of staff in any business. Whether you’re a multi- million corporation or a small business, not knowing about cyber security and how you can ‘do your bit’ as a member of staff could be disastrous.  By providing the right training and educating your staff on the possible risks associated with attacks, like loss of data, especially in the days of GDPR or how they can spot malicious mail that may be lying within their inbox. Being able to spot malicious mail, will help staff to resist the temptation to click and fall victim knowing the damage it can cause. Having that extra knowledge will help staff be better equipped when dealing or preventing a security breach, as well as acting as another barrier of defence working alongside your IT provider doing everything possible to stop a security breach from happening.  Still in 2019, people fall victim every day to fraudsters. Even though it is a reoccurring subject in the news, especially among big brands, people still don’t know how to spot potentially harmful email addresses or scams that are emailed to them every day.

‘Mistakes can help you grow’

Everyone makes mistakes, but making mistakes can help you grow as long as you learn from them. If you click on an infected link or leave your work mobile on the train, knowing the knock-on effect these can cause and the security risk they hold will help educate your staff. Work mobile phones are a staff members responsibility, so leaving them or losing them puts your company at risk if your phone were to fall into the wrong persons hands. But knowing the risks this can cause will hopefully make staff more conscious and aware of what they are doing and if they do happen to lose or click on something they shouldn’t, they know not to do it again as they will have a real life understanding of the consequences they bring. Having real life examples enables employees to see how sometimes the simplest and easiest thing someone can do, like leaving your mobile phone, can have a damaging effect that they may not necessarily see, or the full responsibility that lies with you when you own a company mobile phone.

‘Working together will help minimise the mistakes people can make’

Along with educating your organisation, creating procedures and risk assessments will only build your Cyber Security culture. Educating alone won’t help to fully prevent security breaches but having implementable plans will embed it further and will also be a set of rules staff must follow. All of these working together will help minimise the mistakes people can make and will help guide people on what they should and shouldn’t be doing. What process they should take if the worst were to happen and what the next steps are to take. Adapting to this won’t be an overnight job but will take time, patience and dedication from all members of staff. Knowing that by following these rules and processes and taking the time out to learn about the importance and awareness of cyber security, will only build on the strong foundation your business has already.

As a trusted IT provider, we take overall responsibility to monitor your systems. This allows us to prevent and proactively respond to a potential threat.  It also allows us to implement the correct firewalls and block potentially dangerous emails from entering your inbox, reducing the risk of staff members clicking or opening something they shouldn’t. We are on hand to provide advice to educate your staff and do everything possible to keep your business safe and on track.

 To find out more about Lumic and the full services we provide, get in touch with our friendly team today.