June 5, 2023

Insider threat poses a serious threat to data security, they are also the most manageable risk. By embracing defensive best practices, every organization can significantly reduce the risk of a data breach.

1. Deploy employee monitoring software

Securing a remote workforce, highly capable employing monitoring software can provide critical insights and defensive capacity. Specifically, employee monitoring initiatives can:

  • Analyze behavior patterns to identify threats before they emerge
  • Restrict access to sensitive data
  • Prevent data exfiltration
  • Provide digital forensics for investigation and analysis

Companies have spent significant sums to secure their on-site IT infrastructure. The emergence of hybrid work as a long-term workplace trend makes off-site investment a priority and a necessity for companies that want to remain cyber-secure.

2. Establish and enforce data management policies

A staggering number of organizations rely on employees using their personal devices for work. Nearly 60% of  allow personal devices to access company networks and data, a practice that puts data at risk.

Company-issued technology for accessing data and networks is a better and more holistic approach to data management. Monitoring services can support this effort by providing meaningful insights into the way workers use their company-issued devices, ensuring that sensitive data is protected in the best way possible.

3. Secure accounts

More than a third of your workforce never update their account passwords. Since billions of login credentials have been compromised in the past several years, this is an obvious vulnerability with an easy solution.

Prompting employees to regularly update account passwords can keep bad actors out, and simple on-screen prompts reduces risk in a meaningful way.

Enabling readily available security features such as two-factor authentication can prevent threat actors from accessing data even when armed with the correct login information.

4. Train everyone to secure data

Training all employees to manage data effectively, identify phishing scams, and protect their accounts turns your entire workforce into a defensive asset rather than an extensive liability.

Conclusion

Even before the pandemic disrupted many businesses’ operational structure, cybersecurity threats were both pervasive and expensive.

The number of data breaches has increased exponentially compromising billions of records and costing companies millions of dollars. When coupled with increasing regulatory scrutiny, it’s clear that cybersecurity is an issue that companies need to prioritize at every level.

Because of the rise in remote work, insider threats now pose a heightened risk to data security, and organizations must take action. Effective cybersecurity strategies will serve as a firm foundation for organizations to build upon in the year ahead.

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