4 Reasons You Need to Teach Your Employees About Cyber-Security

Every business uses computer software and digital platforms to operate, but how much do you and your employees know about cybersecurity? When you’re using online staff portals, social media, business email accounts and much more each day, it’s easy to forget about how to keep yourself protected when using these programs, but there is always the chance of malware, phishing scams, and data hacking. As a business, it’s vital that you not only keep your data, intellectual property, and finances safe, but the personal information of your employees and customers need to remain secure, too. Below are some of the main reasons why you need to teach your employees about cyber-security and the threats that can damage your business.

1.    Data Protection

Data protection has been a hot topic in recent years, and many sites and businesses have had their security breached and data has been stolen. This can be very dangerous and is a huge invasion of privacy, especially when people’s bank details, home addresses, and contact details have been taken. As a business, you are likely to have very sensitive information in your computer systems, such as employee records, intellectual property, and even information on your customers/clients. It’s your responsibility to keep this data safe, which is why you need to teach your employees about digital threat mitigation.

2.    Financial Security

If your bank accounts were hacked and drained this would be devastating to your business, but it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility. It’s not just about your business finances either, but that of your customers. If your eCommerce platforms or records are compromised, your customer’s money is at risk. Commonly, people find their details have been stolen from databases, and this can put people off using your business again.

3.    Your Business’s Reputation

If any of the above issues happen to you, not only could it cause havoc for your company and customers, but you run the risk of damaging your business’s reputation. Many brands have suffered as a result of security breaches, and it shakes the public confidence in how their data is being used and stored by these businesses. If customers feel they have been violated in this way, they will hold your company responsible for not having better protection in place. Although sometimes these things can’t be avoided, by making sure your employees are educated in cyber-security and are vigilant this can help reduce the risk.

4.    Intellectual Property

Finally, another great reason to teach yourself and your staff about these risks and how to prevent them is your company’s intellectual property. If your business has been developing a new product or innovative idea, but are not ready to release it to the public, no information about it must be leaked. If another business beats you to the punch, it could lose you a lot of time and money, especially if you choose to pursue legal action over it. Make sure you’re ideas are kept safe until you’re ready to launch them.

There are plenty of other reasons why you should be aware of cyber-security and train your employees about it. It’s always wise to hire professionals to help you maintain this, but having regular refresher courses for your staff about this will be greatly beneficial, too.