Probably the only people that haven’t been bored during the lock down is hackers.
As more of us are now working from home, it would not be uncommon that our usual level of cyber security awareness and monitoring has slipped, therefore leaving us more open to an attack. Sadly, protecting the IT environment in our businesses is not as simple as a single on or off switch.
Cyber hygiene in the work-from-home environment is absolutely critical and it falls to business owners and/or IT managers to communicate not only its importance but best practices as well, even if those practices seem elementary. Remember at the start the government took on the responsibility of explaining the basics of hygiene and how we could prevent the spread, it’s the same for business owners and IT managers to explain the basics of cyber hygiene to employees – even more so now when work and personal activity are quite often taking place on the same computer. The risk is multiplied for those companies that have bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies.
Communication is critical
So, what’s to be done? In short, regular proactive communication with your workforce. Don’t take the cyber hygiene of employee devices for granted. Many employees simply don’t know enough about the basics of security maintenance and so the business owner and/or IT team must educate them. It might be just another job on your to-do list, but it’s worth the effort, as it will be a much bigger job cleaning up any mess that might be left in the aftermath of any attack.
Make a point to routinely email staff with the basics of your cyber hygiene policy. It may seem simple, but it’s like hand washing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We may have been lax about it previously, but it has to be part of our routine from now on.
Lastly, device recognition is a must. Companies that allow personal devices, whether at home or in the office, must have a system whereby employees enrol any personal device they use on the job by serial number, which effectively limits the people who can log in. All processes should be communicated clearly to employees.
Cyber hygiene must become the new normal, until it is completely ingrained in the employees’ approach to how they use their devices.
At Sprint, we have a strong IT and managed services division that can advise and assist you with any aspect of your business IT infrastructure and cyber security, so if you could benefit from our experience in your your workplace, get in touch! Email us.
