Computer Safety Awareness: 5 Issues You Don’t Think About

Organizations take many precautions to keep their data and systems safe and secure. Unfortunately, no number of firewalls protects your data from this potentially disastrous threat. Increase your staff’s awareness and turn security leaks into additional protection.
Security Concerns

1. Metadata. As you may or may not be aware, your documents store hidden data. The moment documents leave your server, the metadata they carry travels with them. Consider creating metadata policies and/or investing in software that locks away or removes the potentially sensitive and/or proprietary information.
2. External email on company devices. When an employee logs into external email services from your company network, it places your company’s security at risk. You must depend on the email provider’s security and on your employee’s vigilance to avoid viruses and malware invading your systems. Develop a data usage policy that limits or eliminates access and discuss the dangers with your employees.
3. Phishing scams. “Phishing” messages look legitimate and ask you to click links or provide sensitive information such as passwords, social security numbers, and credit card numbers. Many computer savvy individuals are vigilant when protecting their own personal information from scams and phishing, but less cautious with company accounts and information. Send your staff to seminars or presentations on security.
4. Portable storage media. CDs, USB drives, and smartphones can be lost compromising sensitive and/or unprotected data. What’s more, worms, Trojans, and other threats can be brought into your environment via portable media. Work with IT to determine the best solution for transferring data.
5. Working off-site. Fasthosts, a web hosting provider, surveyed 1,000 office workers to discover that 37% took risks with work-related data or documents. They left laptops unattended in public, lost USB devices, and used less guarded systems at work. Create procedures and continue to inform workers of the need to keep work-related data protected.

Implement data usage policies and procedures and offer training that warns employees about risky behavior to keep networks safe from avoidable security threats.

If you have a PryorPlus account, check your online library for help in understanding computer safety with these courses:

• Search and add to my training: Network Security
• Search and add to my training: Protecting Your PC from the Bad Guys