#smallbusinessweek What Employees Need to Know
By John Bennett
Year after year, more data breaches are reported and the costs for businesses continue to climb. The targets aren’t just large corporations; in fact, nearly two-thirds of cyberbreach victims are small to medium-size businesses. Despite this, employees continue to display risky security behaviors that can put small businesses at risk—from reusing passwords to neglecting critical software updates, using non-IT sanctioned apps at work and more.
So how can small businesses balance the user experience needs for their employees with security that protects the company’s data from all too frequent breaches? Here are three ways small businesses can simplify life for employees, while keeping security a top priority:
1—Make Online Security a Seamless Process
In today’s tech-savvy society, a seamless user experience is expected everywhere—including at work. Employees lose overall productivity when there’s more friction added to the login process. Make it as easy as possible for employees to login to the applications they need by integrating as much as possible with single sign-on (SSO). SSO allows users to access multiple services with a single login—ssuch as HR sites for payroll and benefits, internal collaboration tools, and other shared services like company intranets. Small businesses must also be aware that using SSO can leave gaps in their security and should be complemented with additional solutions, such as an enterprise password manager.
2—Go Behind The Scenes With Remote Management
We’ve all done it. The software updates notification appears, and we elect to delay the updates for an hour, a day, or even a week. Don’t rely on employees to update software. Instead, do this behind the scenes with a centralized remote management system that automatically pushes and implements updates. This removes a layer of friction these updates can create in an employee’s day-to-day work but ensures all security measures are up-to=date at all times for your business.
Educate Employees on Online Security
Don’t let your small business’s security suffer because of a lack of employee awareness. Employees don’t often understand that their actions can have extreme implications for their own and their company’s data. That’s why after a security policy is put in place, the next step is employee training. Educate employees on the different security risks the company is exposed to and provide quick and easy trainings and tips. This doesn’t have to mean hour-long seminars, it can be simple five-minute virtual IT trainings focusing on how to identify phishing emails or malicious links on a webpage, or sharing a monthly email of tips educating employees about the importance of basic security measures like creating strong, unique passwords.
John Bennett is General Manager, Identity & Access Management of LogMeIn
Cyber security stock photo by thodonal88/Shutterstock
