Remote work has exploded over six years, forcing businesses to rethink security. Small companies should hire an MSP or vCISO to run vulnerability scans and manage networks, mandate password managers and VPNs, and run fake phishing tests. But tools alone won't work: staff need mandatory security awareness training on handling calls, emails, and texts safely.
Chapters
We've seen a tremendous growth, especially in the last 6 years, in terms of remote work. What should business owners be doing to increase their security and security awareness for themselves, their businesses, and their stakeholders?
For one thing, security as a part of doing business can be a do-it-yourself, but security is a profession. And as a small business, investing in a managed service provider, which is a company that comes in and manages your network depending on the size and scope of that network, or even what's called a virtual chief information security officer, or a VCISO, is someone that comes in and does vulnerability scans. They look for vulnerabilities in your network, they recommend hardware and software upgrades, and so forth. All of that is serious considerations that need to be made. Again, depending on the size and scope of your organization. So if you, if you run a business, say, with remote staff, you can't rely on just trust. I advise owners to mandate password managers, use encrypted virtual private networks, run simulated phishing tests. Phishing simulation is something that you see in maybe 60% of all businesses. Not all of them do it. You have to create a culture where security awareness really is part of the job description, not just an IT afterthought. And security Security awareness training is something that I think is necessary for all business owners, their staff, where you bring somebody in either remotely or on site that engages each of the employees on what security is, what security isn't, what to do every time the phone rings, an email comes in, you get a text message. Security awareness itself is something that's significantly lacking in our culture.
