Yep! That’s one of them.
Surprise!
It’s not hackers and scammers who are the biggest threat to your company’s data security. It’s your employees. And it’s not just because they haven’t learned to keep their coffee away from their keyboard. That’s so late last century.
Speaking of last century, the employee culture then and now are almost polar-opposites. In the 1990s most office staff were unfamiliar with PCs. They were on a learning curve of which the leading edge was the fear of doing something wrong. God forbid that they should do anything that would cause a mistake or to “mash a key” that would create a data error.
Nearing the end of the second decade of the 21st century, the workforce is replete with older employees who have long ago learned the ropes and the next generation that knows no fear. Employees whose first words were “momma, digital, and daddy,” have replaced the retirees who had learned just enough to get by before they got their gold watch (or their pink slip).
The bigger problems today are complacency, carelessness, curiosity, and the occasional class clown. Every research report we have read agrees that the overwhelming majority of data breached can be traced directly to employee negligence. For example,
- An IBM report indicated that 60% of the cyber-issues reported were caused by insiders.
- A government survey reported that 57% of cybersecurity incidents were caused by human error.
- A 2018 PwC report indicated that cyber threats to the security of company date are continuing to increase and that employees are the top sources of security incidents.
Should You Be Worried?
That depends. If you think that your employees are so special that your company is exempt from the reported realities, the answer is yes.
On the other hand, if you take the potential loss or corruption of your business data seriously, and you are willing to take some reasonable steps that will help to ensure that you can reduce the insider threats to your digital technology, the answer is still yes. But you should be able to worry a lot less.
What Should You Do?
We could spend an entire article offering best practices and guidance for guarding your technology in house. That’s what we will do in our next post. Sure, we could do list them here, but we’re going to limit this article to the first and most significant step a business owner must take.
It all depends upon you.
That’s right. The only way to reduce insider threats – malicious, mischievous, or mistakes – is for ownership to make protection of data and technology a priority for your business.
Next week we’ll share some proven ways to protect your technology from damage by your own personnel.
You don’t have to be a techie or a geek or understand all the ins and outs of cyberspace. We are here to help you guard your technology. The first step is raising your awareness of the need before the need becomes an emergency.
We are as concerned about your technology security as you are. Your computer system security is our business. That’s why Tech Sentries is always on duty. Contact us today to learn how we can help you “GUARD YOUR TECHNOLOGY” (843-282-2222).
Joe Thibodeau
Tech Sentries Inc
2105 Leopold Street
Johns Island, SC 29455
843-282-2222 Office/Fax
843-902-6885 Cell