When entrepreneurs set up a shop, furnishing and stocking the space isn’t the first thing they think about. The security of their new location is at the top of the list. Security cameras, locks, and other safety measures are preventive measures to avoid significant losses. Companies protect themselves online for the same reasons but in different ways.
Nowadays, businesses focus on creating a company culture that prioritizes the productivity benefits of cybersecurity to prevent downtime, make their customers feel safe, and let employees focus on their tasks rather than putting out fires.
Importance of cybersecurity in the workplace
We’re sure you’ve been a user of online services for many years now, and you know you shouldn’t follow any links from someone offering money or click on suspicious ads. Focusing on the productivity benefits of cybersecurity in the workplace means protecting companies from much more malicious threats like hackers, data leaks, or financial losses. Let’s break down the main reasons why cybersecurity is so important for companies.
Customer trust
The last thing modern companies want is to lose customers. The average users don’t want to concern themselves with GDPR, message encryption, third parties, SMTP security issues, downloading a VPN, or data breaches. They assume that online service providers take care of that for them. So, when their trust is broken, they’ll run away sooner than you think. They’ll also make sure none of their friends and colleagues use the app or website that allows any security issues. A recent survey showed that consumers value digital trust and will consider other brands if they’re unsure about the way their data is used.
Team productivity
When an app experiences downtime or customers’ data leaks, all teams must abruptly stop what they’re working on and switch to resolving the problem. This doesn’t only involve development teams but marketing teams as well. Angry users will reach out, post on social media, and leave bad reviews.
The marketing team needs a good PR strategy to minimize the damage, and tech teams must solve security issues immediately. Incidents such as these keep employees away from their assignments and destroy productivity, especially if they happen often.
Company reputation
A clear example of the productivity benefits of cybersecurity is the ripple effect it has on a company's reputation. If data breach scandals happen often, customers will not feel safe, and they’ll find other providers of the service you offer. The loss of clients leads to declining sales and profits, which can cause layoffs. A high employee turnover negatively impacts your processes, causing unsatisfied teams and a productivity drop. All these consequences can have long-term effects that only hinder a business’s prosperity.
How can you improve your cybersecurity culture?
If you’ve done due diligence and hired experts to create and manage your website and write your app’s code, you probably don’t need advice from anyone else. However, if you’re establishing your presence online on your own or just want to ensure you’ve covered all risks, we’ll go through cybersecurity issues you should pay attention to.
Spoofing
Hackers keep outwitting online security measures by finding new ways to access protected systems. One of them is spoofing, the act of infiltrating devices and sending messages as the person whose account has been spoofed. The recipient can’t tell in any way that the sender is not the trustworthy source they are led to believe, so there are at least two damaged parties. To combat these threats, robust tokenization for data security can help safeguard sensitive information and prevent unauthorized access to valuable data.
Luckily, anti-spoofing solutions exist now, and it seems they’re becoming increasingly essential. They filtrate IP addresses and prevent spoofing attacks in a way that passwords can’t. And if you think biometric identification can protect you, think again! Unfortunately, they can be hacked too. These anti-spoofing techniques help you protect your accounts by implementing firewall rules.
SMTP security issues
SMTP stands for simple mail transfer protocol, a standard protocol that allows you to send and receive emails. It lacks security features, so the threats are numerous. You might be familiar with some of them: spam, phishing, data leaks, malware, and DoS attacks. Hackers can access your SMTP server and all the emails that go through it, leaking your customers’ information, spreading viruses to your contacts, and even crashing your servers. Consider integrating an SPF checker, to enhance your email security.
Is there a way to stop these SMTP attacks from happening? Developers have made many efforts throughout the past three decades to make the SMTP server safer, and the results are SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security). These standards protect by encrypting messages and using digital certificates.
How to unlock the benefits of cyber security and productivity
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many businesses closed their offices and never returned, allowing their employees to work from wherever they preferred. Although the many benefits of remote work are undeniable, security breaches have increased (remember the 2020 Zoom breach?), and the benefits of cyber security have become obvious.
This doesn’t mean working from home is going away! Companies just need to make an extra effort to keep their data safe and their teams efficient. We’ll brush through the productivity benefits of cybersecurity and some productivity hacks.
Simplify cybersecurity practices
Teams are aware that safety comes first, but if the company makes it too complicated to follow protocol, employees will ignore security steps or find a way around them. When introducing new rules, ensure you provide the necessary education and allow time for teams to adjust. Also, try your best not to use overly complicated software if possible. Streamlining security measures with user-friendly PAM software can strike a balance between robust protection and ease of use.
Invest in dedicated cybersecurity employees
Smaller companies may not be able to hire someone who will make sure that the customers’ and employees’ data is safe, but they can find a contractor who will be aware of the importance of cybersecurity, keep an eye on it from time to time, and intervene when there’s a problem.
Larger companies usually employ several people for this purpose, and sometimes even entire teams. Kaspersky published a report in 2020 that unveils 52% of companies employ a dedicated IT Security department and cybersecurity is often a separate department in enterprises where risks are more critical. The main advantage of this separation is that employees can specialize and be more focused on preventing attacks and breaches rather than perform many assignments at once and miss early signs of security risks.
Start using productivity tools
Managers started relying heavily on task management software like Trello and Asana to keep track of projects and assignments, but they also introduced some hacks to keep employees efficient.
One of these hacks is the Pomodoro technique, which you can implement easily with tools like the RoundPie. The trick is to work in 25-minute intervals and then take a 5-10 minute break to stay productive. Teams started working from various locations which can threaten the security of their data. Most popular project management apps ensure high-security standards so teams can collaborate without problems.
Conclusion
The Internet has brought as many opportunities as threats into our lives. We can work from anywhere, connect to people worldwide, and buy whatever we need, but we’re also extremely exposed to risks. When it comes to enterprises, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Hacker threats can only become more serious in the upcoming decades, so paying attention to the productivity benefits of cybersecurity is essential. Don’t overlook the vulnerability of SMTP security issues and safety protocols. One leak and your business’s productivity could face consequences for months if not years.
Instead of subjecting your employees to emergency interventions, take advantage of the many ways to prevent cybersecurity attacks and protect your data. This way, teams won’t have to disrupt their schedule and can focus on daily tasks without stress. If you invest in server protection now, you won’t have to worry about productivity tomorrow.
About the author:
Veljko Ristić Linguist by trade, digital marketer at heart, I’m a Content Manager who’s been in the online space for 10+ years. From ads to e-books, I’ve covered it all as a writer, editor, project manager, and everything in between. Now, my passion is with email infrastructure with a strong focus on technical content and the cutting-edge in programming logic and flows. But I still like spreading my gospels while blogging purely about marketing.
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