All the technology and software in the world cannot keep your business secure without a collective effort from everyone in your company.
By increasing cyber security awareness and building a human firewall within your organisation, it becomes more difficult for malicious actors to successfully gain access to sensitive data— especially through simplistic forms of attack that can be easy to miss.
Not only will improving cyber security awareness help to minimise the impact and spread of an attack on your servers, but it can also have several benefits for your bottom line — from increasing uptime and productivity to maintaining a positive reputation and reducing the likelihood of facing a compliance fine.
However, for this cyber security awareness to be truly impactful, it must start at the top and trickle down — influencing every layer of your organisation and setting a precedent for how seriously security should be taken.
So, we have outlined five crucial steps every business should take to reinforce their cyber defences — both in the short and long term…
1. Create a culture of cyber awareness
An IBM survey found that human error is one of the leading causes of data breaches, meaning every person in your company has a part to play in defending against cyber attacks.
Whether you are a business leader, manager or employee, securing systems and preventing hackers from breaching networks falls on everyone’s shoulders — not just your IT department. As a result, it is crucial to develop a cyber-aware company culture so that cyber security is considered in all your activities and not only when a disaster strikes.
To reduce your risk of a data breach, clearly communicate your cyber policies, implement regular training (for all staff) and ensure everyone understands the importance of keeping security in mind during decisions relating to technology.
This way, you will create the right behaviours and encourage all teams to view cyber security as a priority rather than a nuisance.
2. Establish good cyber hygiene at every level
All staff — from the C-suite to reception — must understand the importance of cyber security to prevent hackers from launching successful social engineering scams against your company.
From changing passwords regularly and avoiding following links or downloads from unknown sources to frequently backing up data, there are simple steps everyone can and should take to protect your business from cyber threats, starting with your organisation’s leaders.
More often than not, people will choose convenience over security — so senior staff must lead by example. If employees see their managers following cyber security best practices consistently, they will likely follow suit.
Equally, managers should be receptive to relevant feedback from their staff and encourage workers to come to them with their concerns before a potential data breach does too much damage.
3. Conduct regular cyber security awareness training
In-depth training programmes should be introduced from the onboarding stage and regularly evaluated to ensure they include the latest guidance on compliance and best practices.
By enforcing training and encouraging all workers to take ownership of data protection, you can significantly reduce the risk of human error and keep your critical systems secure.
But remember: not everyone understands techy information, so ensure all training is delivered in a jargon-free, engaging way to guarantee that every team is on the same page.
It may also be worthwhile to engage reluctant employees by offering incentives for good cyber behaviours, such as rewarding staff for reporting data breaches.
4. Understand the biggest threats to your business
As more businesses undergo digital transformations, the risk of cyber crime increases.
The first step to achieving avoiding these threats for your organisation is identifying the main weaknesses within your systems, which attack types you might be vulnerable to and how to spot them.
According to the National Cyber Security Centre, ransomware is the UK’s most acute cyber threat in 2024. Phishing is also high on that list — with the number of unique phishing sites (attacks) reaching 5 million in 2023.
Of course, every business’ IT infrastructure will face different threat vectors. For example, remote workers might be more exposed to hackers, so it is vital to set cyber security standards and expectations for using personal devices on unsecured networks to minimise human error and insider threats.
Still, all employees should know how to access cyber security resources — from reporting suspicious emails to actioning disaster recovery plans…
5. Implement a robust and up-to-date cyber strategy
Having a well-thought-out cyber strategy is key to raising in-house cyber security awareness and should be a top priority for every company.
A good policy will set out what actions to take in the event of an attack and ensure a system is in place for identifying, reporting and analysing malicious activity. It will also provide visibility over entire IT infrastructures and guarantee every process change is communicated to all teams.
Without these frameworks, which should be simple to understand and hard to bypass, a data breach could go undetected for months and cause irreparable damage — leading to compliance fines, dissatisfied customers and loss of revenue.
However, in today’s ever-changing cyber landscape, developing and maintaining a robust cyber strategy can be a mammoth task — often too time-consuming to manage internally.
So, we advise enlisting the support of cyber security specialists to ensure your IT strategy is effectively improving your organisation’s cyber resilience and allowing you to reinforce systems in response to evolving threats.
Ready to improve cyber security awareness at every company level and bolster your cyber strategy? Email our cyber security consultants at info@burningtree.co.uk or call 01252 843014 to discuss your requirements today.
