Cybersecurity Considerations for Small and Medium Manufacturers
Throughout the years, how we use technology has changed, and cybersecurity has become more of a household word. The harsh reality is that cyber breaches are common and are a threat to not only businesses but our personal lives as well. Having good policies in place to protect your information is very important and logical in today’s world of the Internet. Hackers are more advanced than ever.
As we start to approach National Cybersecurity Month, it’s worth taking a look at our own organizations to determine what protections we have in place not just at the technical level, but also with how employees understand the information they’re handling and how to take responsibility for it.
Identify Your Risks:
What are your risks from inappropriate use? Do you have information that should be restricted? Do you send or receive a lot of large attachments and files? Are potentially dangerous attachments making the rounds? It might be a non-issue, or it could be costing you thousands of dollars per month in lost employee productivity or computer downtime.
A good way to identify your risks can be through the use of monitoring or reporting tools. Many vendors of firewalls and Internet security products allow evaluation periods for their products. If those products provide reporting information, it can be helpful to use these evaluation periods to assess your risks.
However, it’s important to ensure that your employees are aware that you will be recording their activity for the purposes of risk assessment if this is something you choose to try. Many employees may view this as an invasion of their privacy if it’s attempted without notifying them.
Train Your Employees:
Training is the most commonly overlooked and underappreciated part of implementing company policies. In practice, however, it’s one of the most useful phases. Training isn’t just a way for you to tell employees about your policies. It’s also a way to discuss the practical implications of that policy.
The questions employees ask and the suggestions they offer can strengthen your policy implementation overall. It’s important to review policies periodically (e.g., annually) or in response to changes. Regulations, technology, and industry best practices don’t stay stagnant, and your current policies may not comply with new requirements. Plus, it’s important to ensure consistency and effectiveness across your organization.