Did you know that your company data could be compromised by a human in your organization? It’s true. When I talk with business owners about how human factor plays a role in cybersecurity it is sometimes very eye-opening for them.

As a provider of cybersecurity for small to medium business owners, I let them know that I can only do so much in my role if the company doesn’t have protocols in place to address any human factor errors.

Security protocols need to be adopted at every level in the organization – from the maintenance crew if they get online to the CEO. Every interaction that anyone on your staff or payroll has with your online data needs to be considered when setting up cybersecurity best practices.

Human Factors Play Role In Cybersecurity: 3 Items

Before we go any further, I am not saying that all human factors are malicious – the human factor could simply be not adhering to a password protocol.

human factor in cybersecurity

Here are some of the human factors I see many organizations either forgetting to address or not being fully cognizant of the ramifications of that human factor:

  1. Cybersecurity skills – or lack of. You may find that you’re struggling to hire the cybersecurity and IT staff that you need to protect your company data. That is something we are seeing across many industries. If this is the case, DM or email me because we can work with the team you have to enhance the cybersecurity of your data.
  2. Accessibility and usability can keep users from picking the securest options because the software wants to make it a seamless process. This “helpful” factor that’s built into software leads to lax security that can open the door to hackers. This could be the option to bypass long, difficult to remember passwords to skipping setting up two-factor authentication.
  3. One size cybersecurity does not fit all. You shouldn’t have to convince your IT department that implementing security protocols that are different for all employees – you have a problem. Not all employees need the same access to your network. Employees should be invited to the areas in which they need to do their jobs – period.

What can you do? Implement cybersecurity protocols that begin with passwords and two-factor authentication to limiting access to staff to the data they need to perform their tasks. Setting up internal controls, trainings and even testing the knowledge of staff – for example sending out “fake phishing” emails and making note of which employees open them.

Common sense truly rules the day when it comes to protecting your identity and your passwords. If you have any questions about passwords, password protection or protecting your business from ransomware, give us a call today.

DM us or schedule an appointment to talk with our President Seth Melendez. Protect your company’s most valuable asset – its data.

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