Even with all of the tools in place to secure your network, it’s no secret that the most effective way to combat insider threats is to get your employees involved as stakeholders in the program. Having the workforce onboard and aligned with your goals makes a big difference in the success of your program. The majority of insider incidents occur due to a mistake or negligence on the part of the insider and is not done maliciously. So employee training programs have an important role to play in your cybersecurity strategy – however, if this is approached in the wrong way, it may not have the effect your organization needs. Your employee training program needs to cater not just to the needs of the organization, but also to the needs of your employees. Here are some of the best ways to improve your employee training program and really help to strengthen the security of your organization.
Understanding Your Audience
Insider incidents don’t occur in a vacuum – there are often several complicating factors that can lead an employee to commit actions that lead to incidents, whether by choice or unknowingly. It’s important to keep this mind. You need your training program to account for these factors and connect with the employees on a fundamental level. Building empathy and trust, while keeping the ultimate end goal in mind, is a great way to do this, as well as building up a healthy company culture within the organization as a whole.
Understand Your Policies and How to Best Articulate Them
It might be easy for you as a cybersecurity professional to understand your policies inside and out. However, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at your policies from the perspective of an employee not as well-versed as you. Are the policies easy to understand from this perspective? What are some of the challenges that you might encounter if you were in their shoes? By doing this thought experiment, you can begin to construct ways of clearly articulating your policies to your average employee so that they truly grasp them and can implement them in their day-to-day work life.
Communicate Changes to Your Policy Clearly and Often
Policy changes will come and go as new realities surface and your team implements new tools or best practices surrounding company data and network access. However, this can get quite confusing for your typical employee. Ensure that during your employee training program sessions you communicate new policies clearly, then follow-up every so often to ensure the message gets through.
Keep an Open-Door Policy
Questions about your cybersecurity policies should be encouraged and welcome, as it provides for your team to clear up any misunderstandings and strengthen the work that your employees will be putting in to support your team. Keep an open-door policy and be transparent with your workforce – it doesn’t seem like much, but your employees will welcome this attitude towards your organizational cybersecurity.
Contact ITMG to Assess Your Current Capabilities and Develop Strategies and Protocols Designed to Help Your Company Mitigate Your Insider Risk
ITMG is an industry leader in helping organizations throughout the United States strengthen their insider risk management programs and secure sensitive data and intellectual property. Our team of bona fide experts has the real-world experience necessary to plan out and create holistic security solutions tailored to the special needs and risks in your industry. Contact ITMG today to learn more about how we can help! You can also visit our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages for more updates and insights into the world of insider risk management.
