The Importance of Employees to Cybersecurity

General, IT Leadership

Written by

David McBride

Published on

August 15, 2024

It’s well known that the team is the lifeblood of a company. Employees act as the lifeblood for companies, carrying out the culture and energy set by the leadership. Additionally, employees—specifically their compliance—play a significant role in keeping your business safe from cyberattacks. 

Why? Because 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error. Simple mistakes such as weak passwords or falling for phishing scams can have serious consequences.

It’s not just simple mistakes that pose risks for businesses, either. 34% of companies are affected by insider threats annually. These could be disgruntled employees, contractors, or anyone with access to your systems who might misuse their privileges.

How to Minimize Employee Risk

When creating a secure IT environment, all of your employees—not just your IT team—should be a central focus. Ensuring your employees are well-prepared to protect company data is equally as important as creating a robust cybersecurity plan. Rather, it’s part of a robust cybersecurity plan. 

Here are a few tips to minimize human error in cybersecurity:

Educate employees

Invest in comprehensive employee training programs to educate your team about cybersecurity best practices. Educating your employees about potential threats and providing proper training can significantly reduce your business’s human risk. 

Principle of least privilege

The principle of least privilege keeps your business data safe by limiting access on a case-by-case basis. This strategy can significantly reduce the threat of insider leaks from disgruntled employees by limiting which employees can access sensitive data and when those employees can access the data. 

Create a security policy

An effective security policy should outline how to handle sensitive data, passwords, and who can handle them. Requiring the use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and password managers is critical, and ensuring all employees are using the same security software should be included in the policy. 

Partnering with an Experienced IT Provider

Working with an experienced IT provider can bring multiple cybersecurity benefits to your business. Some of the benefits your business can expect to get from working with a professional provider include:

  • Proactive monitoring
  • Managed endpoint detection
  • Managed antivirus 
  • Cybersecurity assessment

Working with 99Ten guarantees that your business will work with a dedicated and experienced team that will bring your business ultimate cybersecurity. If you’re wondering where to start, book a discovery with us to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of your IT infrastructure.