How to Build a Culture of Cybersecurity on the First Day
Often, a new hire’s first day involves company orientation, team introductions, and granting of security access. However, as the workplace environment evolves, every new employee needs to undergo security training—not only those filling IT staffing vacancies.
This article will look into the importance of cybersecurity training and ways to secure the work environment.
The Importance of Cybersecurity
As the world embraces a hybrid working environment, cybersecurity has become a top concern for companies everywhere. With people working remotely in their homes, the IT department must ensure that its network is safe from cyberattacks.
Cyberattacks are virtual attacks where unauthorized and malicious entities try to access a company’s computer network. Once an online criminal gains access, they can take, manipulate, and delete company and client data. Worse yet, they can hold the whole network for ransom.
Ways to Secure the Hybrid Workplace
There are many ways you can begin fostering a secure work environment from day one. Here are some tasks to add to your new hire onboarding checklist to achieve this goal:
Non-Disclosure or Confidentiality Agreements
Different employees gain various levels of access to company data. However, all employees need to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). This legally binding document prevents the leakage of sensitive company information.
NDAs can encompass a wide array of information, from company trade secrets and client data to employee lists and even their role in the company. It is your responsibility to define the parameters of the agreement before presenting it to the employee for signing.
Information Security Policies
There are pieces of information that employees can freely share. However, the way they access it and share it needs to be secure.
Security policies are documents that outline the proper process of accessing and sharing company information. These also include employee accountability and consequences in instances of delinquencies.
Provision User Access
Provision user access is a network security best practice that gives employees the bare minimum access to company information. It means that each employee can only view and acquire data significant to their job description. That is why provision user access is also known as “least privileged access.”
Although employees start with free access to minimal information, it can change over time. They may gain authority to more information after a promotion or through a request to systems administrators. However, approval of these requests depends on whether the information they seek is relevant to completing their tasks.
Security Awareness Training Sessions
Cybersecurity becomes a part of a new employee’s responsibility once they access the company network. You can create a training program that tackles cybersecurity to help them along the way.
This training is the prime time for you to explain the security policies in place. You can teach them tips and tricks on making the devices they use to access company data more secure. You can show real-life cyber threats, how they can impact them and the company, and how they can protect themselves from risks.
Conclusion
After filling an IT staffing vacancy, or any vacancy for that matter, new hires must be trained in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity training does not need to be complicated. People only have to understand how to protect themselves against online attacks to ensure the safety of their work computer and the company’s overall network.
However, you must remember that creating a secure work environment is a collaborative effort. That is why IT and HR have to work together to make that happen.
Technical Paradigm is a world-class IT staffing agency in Chicago connecting companies to the best IT professionals around. Wherever your company is in the US, we are confident that we can find the perfect candidate for you. Get in touch with us, and let us create your IT dream team today!