Employees Need Reminders of Data Security Policies
A recent study by Ponemon Institute indicates that employees are not being as safe as they once were with technology and the data it stores on a daily basis. This disregard for data security can create a huge problem for companies as they try to weather the economic storm. The new study, which compared responses from a similar 2007 study, identified a few specific areas where employees were being particularly lax:
1. Increased number of employees copying secure information to USB drives
2. Increased number of employees turning off laptop and other mobile device security settings
3. Increased number of employees engaging with social networking sites using work computers
4. Increased number of employees downloading personal software to company computers
We’ve talked about the potentially dangerous online activities employees can engage in that can hurt the overall company in a previous post (see Is what my employees are doing dangerous?) Data loss and security breaches can bring businesses already struggling to make ends meet to the breaking point. It is important to shore up any potential security holes with employees quickly. To accomplish this, IT staffers need to make sure they regularly remind employees of the company’s IT policies. Make it a point to remind employees with PCs as well as laptops of the right and wrong ways to send data, share data and use email. This can potentially save a lot of time in data recovery later down the line.
One thing to note: It is clear that as technology gets easier to use and more mobile, security is going to get more difficult. We don’t advocate that companies prohibit the use of mobile devices or other new technologies. Us IT techies of all people absolutely understand businesses need to use these things in order to be successful. We do, however, advocate for safe and smart ways to use these new things. Take time to put enforceable and practical policies in place so that your employees have clear direction and your company can have some peace of mind.
Tags: dangerous online activities employees, data loss, IT security, it security breach, Ponemon Institute, small business it security