If we were ever on track to live in The Matrix, that vision of the future has gone the way of the flip phone. By now, we’ve all seen so much news about cyberattacks and data breaches—or have experienced an attack ourselves—in that the techno-dystopian fantasies of sci-fi movies and books seem like quaint relics of a more innocent time. Slow-motion fight scenes look silly in contrast to ransomware, phishing, and DDoS attacks that can take down banks, retailers, hospitals, and power grids. Cybersecurity salvation won’t come from Neo and his knowledge of kung fu, but Sheryl in accounting and her password manager.
A survey from Tech Pro Research (a joint venture between ZDNet and TechRepublic) underscores this contrast between Hollywood and the real world. “Cybersecurity strategy: Common tactics, issues with implementation, and effectiveness” takes a hard look at what organizations are doing to protect their and their customers’ sensitive data.
It turns out that bit about Sheryl from accounting is no joke. Employees’ actions—or their inactions—can make or break an organization’s cybersecurity program. TechRepublic Associate Editor Amy Talbott writes (emphasis added):
“[B]usinesses do realize the importance of getting employees involved in cybersecurity. However, when asked about any challenges to implementing strategies, 58 percent said the hardest part was getting employees to comply.”
That’s right: it’s not that organizations completely lack the resources or technical ability to implement data protection measures; it’s that people have trouble breaking their bad digital habits. It’s our co-workers and colleagues—not machines, not applications—who pose the greatest threat to cybersecurity.
Read “Research: Employee compliance is the main challenge to implementing cybersecurity strategy.”
Fortunately, with the right approach, any organization can effectively train its employees on data privacy and improve its cybersecurity and workforce compliance outcomes. In today’s data-rich environment, you may have the most high-tech security deployed to your systems. But if your workforce isn’t up to speed on the cybersecurity dangers at hand and how each employee is crucial to combating them, you’re neglecting your most important protection.
Protect your business and safeguard your data with KPA’s Cybersecurity Training.
