It’s National Cyber Security Month: Are Your Employees Prepared?

As more connected devices are used to get business done remotely and in the office, IT leaders are challenged with keeping those devices secure. Practicing these safety tips will help their users become better online citizens.

Keep Patches Up to Date Any machine that is connected to the Internet is vulnerable to viruses. There’s a chance that anything your employees plug into their computers could be carrying malicious code, so use security software and always scan for threats. 

Protect Personal Information Two-factor authentication adds a layer of protection. Train employees to use longer, more complex passwords that combine numbers, letters, capitalization, and symbols.  They should create unique passwords for different accounts. If they need to write down passwords, make sure they keep them in a secure and obscure place.

Connect with Care If they don’t know the sender, don’t click the link. They should apply this practice not only to email but also to all online accounts—personal and professional. They should avoid sharing business documents or conducting business transactions on public WiFi. 

Be Web Wise Many corporate breaches are the result of end users unknowingly compromising the network. While the Internet allows for instant connectivity, employees don’t have to respond immediately to emails that seem suspicious. An awareness program should teach patience and remind users that they need to take the time to verify sources before reacting. 

Be a Good Online Citizen The old saying that a child’s behavior outside of the home is a reflection on the parents is now true for employees in business. The way employees represent themselves on social media can impact the corporation’s reputation as well. 

At PC Connection, we believe that developing and implementing a rock-solid security management plan is key. These practices should play a role in your overall security policy. Once you have a solid understanding of your environment’s security risk level, you’ll need to identify and document your policies and controls—and it’s critical to make sure you have an ongoing process to maintain compliance with those policies over time.

As a Champion of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2015, PC Connection, Inc. is committed to promoting cyber security and online safety. Our in-house team of security experts is dedicated to helping organizations of every size reduce their risk with industry-leading security solutions and services. PC Connection’s Security Practice can help create comprehensive security programs that leverage the latest technologies from our partners, including: Cisco, Check Point, Core Security, Dell, Intel Security, Security Innovation, Sophos, Symantec, Trend Micro, and VMware. 

Our team is proud to support the goals of NCSAM:

• Promote online safety
• Ensure everyone has the resources to stay safer and more secure online
• Engage and educate public and private sector partners through events and initiatives with the goal of raising cyber security awareness