No matter your industry, cybersecurity and data protection are essential to keeping your organization safe. The valuable data that is stored on your organization’s devices has to be protected at all costs. The month of January is an important month for data security awareness, as January 28th is National Data Privacy Day. If cybersecurity is a topic that your organization has not prioritized yet, we’ve rounded up a few helpful tips to keep your data secure. 

What is Cybersecurity?

Before we begin, you may have questions about what cybersecurity actually is or does. Without getting too technical, cybersecurity is the act of protecting your organization’s devices, networks and systems from potential digital attacks. Cyber criminals target businesses for their sensitive and private data, then hold it hostage until the organization pays a fee to get it back. Cyber attacks affect businesses of all sizes, including large corporations and small businesses. On average, a cyber attack happens in the United States every 39 seconds. Cyber attacks are on the rise and as time goes on, hackers become more sophisticated in their tactics to infiltrate a company’s devices. Having proper cyber security in place is crucial for your organization to function safely and efficiently.

How can my organization implement cybersecurity?

We are so glad you asked! Here are a few helpful tips to improve your organization’s cybersecurity efforts and prevent a potential disaster:

• Educate Your Employees: This is the first and most crucial step to healthy cybersecurity. If your organization’s employees are not on the same page about best practices when it comes to cybersecurity, you are making your business more vulnerable to potential cyber attacks. Regularly present educational and learning opportunities for your employees, so they can understand how to avoid a cyber attack.

• Regularly Change Your Passwords: In addition to educating your employees, have your team regularly update passwords on their devices. Passwords need to be complex sequences with lots of numbers, letters and characters to keep them unique. Best practice is to change your passwords every other week, or monthly at the least. 
• Backup Your Data: This step is so crucial, but one that many organizations tend to skip. Be sure to regularly back up your organization’s data to the cloud or an off-site server. In case of a potential security threat, having your data stored at an outside location brings peace of mind as you deal with how to address a cyber attack. 

Do you have additional questions about how your organization can better prepare for a potential cyber attack? Or maybe you just need assistance implementing a cybersecurity plan? Contact HR Anew for assistance! HR Anew helps employers and organizations solve their business problems. Connect with us when you want new ideas and solutions to optimize digital resources, strategy and training in the areas of diversity, equity, equality, inclusion, and belonging; manager and employee education and training, employee relations and workplace investigations, and human resource advisory services. Request a quote today!