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The Key to a Secure Hybrid Work Environment? Training!
For most businesses, the new hybrid work model will be around for a while. Perhaps a long while. As employees adapted to working from home, many have found its conveniences hard to give up. And employers are becoming savvy to the fact that this new level of flexibility is necessary to secure talent these days.
That said, the hybrid model presents challenges for IT departments. One that we hear of often from IT and telecom leadership is the challenge of cybersecurity.
A more casual regard to information security among younger workers can create a perfect storm for hackers and data breaches.
Part of the hybrid challenge is the changing demographics of the workforce. The majority of remote workers today are millennials and younger. Their views of how information is used and shared is often very different from their older counterparts. The line between personal lives and work lives is one that continues to blur as the stringent and restrictive policies of the past have relaxed to accommodate a new generation.
The numbers surrounding remote worker behavior make security more important now than ever.
Results of a recent report cited by Helpnet Security found that 44% of millennials and 51% of Gen Z are more likely to report experiencing a cyber threat than baby boomers (21%). And, only 14% of baby boomers reported identity theft, compared with 25% of millennials.
The key is education and training.
With all that is on the plates of IT professionals these days, it's understandable that taking time out to review and enforce best practices in cybersecurity among the workforce brings an unwelcome layer of work for an already maxed out department.
However, for those IT managers who do take the time, the reward is well worth it in the form of a workforce more attuned to security and more willing to take measures to ensure ongoing security.Here are some key training touchpoints to consider:
Keep training simple and straightforward. Explain the importance of password protection, sharing personal data, being diligent about updates and upgrades and using security measures such as multi-factor authentication. Be clear and concise, outlining only the steps you need them to take. Don’t bog them down with unrelated details.
Provide training both in person and online. Make it easy for your end users to access key information when it is convenient to them.
Be accessible. Make sure you make your team available for questions and concerns. Mistakes will happen, which means you need to be willing to take calls and respond to emails quickly.
Reinforce policies and brush up regularly. Make it a point to regularly update your end users. This is especially important to make sure you are reaching new employees and keeping your protocols fresh and relevant.
Be a team player. Your end users are your clients. This mindset is more important now than ever. Partner with them to keep your organization safe and secure.
All this takes time and effort. So remember to use the technology and tools available to you to take tedious tasks off your plate and to make sure that all areas of your department are operating at optimum efficiency. That's where we can help. Contact us for more information on how to reduce IT/telecom costs and free up your workforce to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
About TeleManagement Technologies, Inc.
Since 1987, TTI has been designing software products that provide a better solution to managing corporate technology, inventory, expenses and services. For more information, visit www.telmantec.com.
