The most important part of your IT security plan

Did you realize that nearly 50 percent of the cyberattacks perpetrated each year target small businesses? The last thing you want is to let a lack of network security lead to your sensitive information being stolen.

While having a firewall and effective malware software in place is important, you also need to stress the importance of network security with each and every employee on your staff. Effective employee education can help you keep hackers at bay and the information on your network safe.

Read below to find out more about the benefits of properly educating your employees about network security.

Proper training makes your employees more confident

The world of business technology is constantly growing and expanding. New technology can be overwhelming. If your staff feels in over their heads, that can lead to a number of security mistakes.

That’s why proper training is so important—especially when you introduce a new technical tool.

The last thing you want is for your team to feel apprehensive or uncertain about using new technology. The time and money invested in employee education come right back to you. Your team will feel more confident. They’ll work more efficiently. They’ll make fewer mistakes. And, of course, they’ll be able to actively help keep your company data more secure.

Providing them with information about how to protect your business network puts them in the driver’s seat when it comes to avoiding data hacks.

Create a better company culture

Many business owners fail to realize that providing employee education can help better their company culture.

Data security is essential. That’s a no-brainer. When you invite employees to hold each other accountable, that doesn’t just boost cybersecurity. It also helps develop a healthier company culture.

Pair that with encouragement for team members to offer support to one another and you’re on your way to a game-changing internal dynamic.

Creating a culture of education and teamwork will allow you to keep employees happy and engaged. No employee wants to feel like they are out of the loop when it comes to the inner workings of the company.

Work hard to keep your team informed and encourage them to inform each other. This simple step helps to stop new security threats while making your company culture even stronger.

Employee education can save you time and money

When you combine a company culture based on proper data security and a confident group of employees, you are very nearly guaranteed to save time and money.

A data breach doesn’t just compromise your sensitive information. It has the potential to cost you tens of thousands of dollars in recovery costs. And that doesn’t even take into account the losses associated with the hit to your reputation.

Employee education can go a long way toward helping you avoid the expense of a data breach.

A higher degree of network security

Perhaps the biggest benefits of educating your employees about data hacks is a higher overall degree of network security. In a sense, this is the combined effect of every other benefit.

As the business owner, you get peace of mind. You’ll know your employees know how to properly avoid and address cybersecurity issues. It’s hard to overstate the value of that.

Not only will this help to reduce the amount of stress you have to deal with as a business owner, it will also help keep your business productive and efficient. There’s less to worry about and less to do.

In the ever-changing landscape of network security, you may need professionals to help you implement the right employee education strategy. If that’s the case, we encourage you to reach out to your managed IT service provider. They’re experience and knowledge will help you put together an employee training program that makes sense for your company.