Keeping your business safe should be among your top priorities. The fact is, digital threats are more omnipotent than ever. A study from Panda Security found that there are around 230,000 new malware samples (software designed to penetrate security and damage a server or computer network) being launched every single day.
In fact, 27% of every piece of malware that ever existed came about in 2015 alone. And these malicious attacks are costing businesses money—and even forcing them to close down. Cybercrime damage is expected to reach $6 trillion by 2021. Everyone from big corporations to small local businesses are at risk.
With that in mind, company intranets need to be especially secure. An intranet is a computer network designed to house collaboration tools, make it easy to share information, and improve operations. These networks service organizations internally and can make a huge difference to how a company’s team works from the inside. They help build internal communication best practices, keep employees engaged, and help consolidate business processes. Because intranets carry such sensitive data, it’s especially important for you to make sure it’s safe and secure. Here are three crucial tips for achieving optimal security:
Beware of Business Complacency
Many business managers consider complacency to be a hidden, silent business killer—and can be a major intranet weakness. In business, complacency refers to a mentality of comfortability that discourages innovation and critical thinking. “Like runaway tree roots, complacency takes hold of an organization’s culture, and the worst part is, in many companies, leadership is either slow to recognize it or does nothing to stop it,” says Chris Ruisi, founder of the Coach’s Zone. This complacency breeds into legacy thinking, where the team member believes the neverending future of their position in the company will remain as it is. Naturally, this fosters little to no room for growth.
One of the biggest issues with complacent workers is that they aren’t as secure, careful, or cautious. Like any business, your organization is safe as your least safe staff member is. Because intranets are inherently private, it might mean employees are lackluster in their navigation of that system. For instance, they might be more likely to create weak passwords or click email links and download attachments without paying attention to the sender. To combat this, invest in security awareness training and convey the importance of accessing different levels of data.
Create Usage Policies
Your goal is to ensure that every team member using the intranet is doing so effectively. Usage policies help communicate that need for efficiency and safety. Put together a list of set processes that make secure usage is as simple as possible. Here are a few of the basics that should be included in your guide:
- Always log out of the system
- Never print data or documents that contain sensitive information
- Never connect to external websites from within the intranet portal
- Only use the intranet for company-related businesses
- Do not modify or search for information belonging to other users unless authorized
Keep in mind that you don’t want to simply hand out your policy and leave it to the employee to review. Communicate the main points of your policy verbally, and allow them to reference it as needed. A digital copy of your policy should be housed on your intranet as well.
Restrict Access
Not all information is relevant to each of your employees. User permissions and access plays a big role in your intranet. Staff access to certain parts of your intranet should be restricted based on need, role, or authority. You should also consider the type of devices that access your intranet. For example, if your employees or contractors access your intranet for unsecured personal devices, it could open it up to vulnerabilities. Be sure to utilize the most advanced antivirus software and personal firewalls for each device used to access your intranet.