All companies have policies in place which govern how their employees use their technology, so it makes sense that any new employees should be onboarded in accordance with these expectations. Let’s go over how you can make sure your new employees know and understand your organization’s policies as they relate to business technology.

Data Management

How your organization manages its technology has just as much to do with your employees as it does with your central infrastructure. You’ll need to ensure that your new hires know how and where to store information, as failing to do so could lead to files being misplaced, lost, or mishandled with potentially devastating consequences.

Removable Media

Removable media used to be much more common, but thanks to the cloud and network-attached storage protocols, it’s not nearly as useful… or as secure. If employees use external media sources to transfer data, they should be using one supplied by the company, period. Other removable media devices should stay off the company network.

Internet of Things

New employees will bring with them plenty of connected devices to the workplace, like fitness trackers, smart watches, and so on. It makes sense that you have a policy in place to govern these devices, and especially one that is easy to understand and visible to your new employees. These devices are endpoints, just like computers, and they could potentially be used to find a hole in your company’s defenses.

Cybersecurity

Whenever you have an employee who first joins your team, you’ll have to educate them on how to go about their duties in a safe and secure manner. This includes online resources, email, and even social media. It will always be risky whenever there is an Internet connection, so emphasize that all it takes is one simple oversight for even the most seasoned employee to fall prey to a phishing attack. Here are a couple of ways you can educate your team to understand cybersecurity in the workplace.

• Understand how phishing attacks work: Phishing attacks are the biggest threat to businesses, as they skirt your security measures to target your users—a much more vulnerable point of entry for your network. 
• Understand the idea behind authorization: Authentication methods like strong, unique passwords, in combination with multi-factor authentication tools, will be crucial to protecting your business. Educate your new hires on what these terms mean and why they are so important.
• Understand the dangers of unauthorized software: Any solutions used by your team should be authorized and approved by your IT department. New hires should know that they should not be installing or using applications that are not authorized and deemed safe to use.

Remember that employees play a vital role in protecting your organization from threats of all kinds. Take the initiative today and get in touch with First Column IT. We can help train your team and equip your organization with the tools it needs to protect itself. Just reach out to us at (571) 470-5594.

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