Controlling The Human Element In Your Office’s Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity in your office has two primary elements, the human and the technical. The technical is, of course, best left to the IT and computer experts. However, the human element applies to everyone who works in your office or business. Unclear security procedures lead to human error or confusion which increases the likelihood and severity of a cyber-attack.

Even the most technical and sophisticated IT security systems can be undone by simple human unawareness and or misjudgment. To lessen the chance of a potentially catastrophic cyber-incident, you must make every employee, especially the non-technical ones, integral in the protection of your business's information security.

Now, depending on your business, many of the people who work in your office may not be IT savvy. Therefore, investing in extremely technical training about maintaining the security of your office's computer networks isn't necessarily practical. You should focus on finding quality training for everyone in the office who isn't an IT professional.

Non-Technical 

The primary quality of good non-technical IT security training is that it's easily understood and practical. It makes information security concepts easy to understand and easy to apply in the office, every day. More importantly, non-technical training should be free of IT jargon and information that's relevant to only industry experts.

The training should also be interesting and full of real-world examples and everyday situations, including scenarios that clearly illustrate what the right and wrong actions are from an IT security point of view. Also, if the training is fun and interactive, your employees will likely respond to it better than if it is just information and illustrations of scenarios.

Cyber-Incident Response

Sadly, training on preventative measures will only take your office so far. There is always the possibility of a cyber-incident no matter how careful your office is. Therefore, your employees also need training on how to properly respond to potential cyber-attacks. 

Everyone in your office should be aware of their role and responsibilities in the event of a cyber-incident. For example, an employee with access to highly secure databases should know the proper chain of notification if they notice mysterious log-ins to the database. Furthermore, employees should know who is responsible for disseminating information to other employees, customers, and shareholders.

Rumors and the flow of information about the attack must be controlled. It's crucial for your business's reputation and it may also help you find the perpetrator or discover the weak link that allowed the attack to happen. A strong IT security continuing education for all your employees will help you with that.

Final Thoughts

More so now than ever before, information security is a cat and mouse game. This is especially true when it comes to the human element of the issue. Training for your non-technical staff must also be continuous and ever-changing to keep up with the evolving forms of cyber-attacks. 

For more information, reach out to a non-technical cybersecurity training service.  


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