Organizations’ networks and sensitive data grow, more exposed to unauthorized access as the globe gets more linked and data breaches can have catastrophic consequences. Any successful attack carries the risk of financial loss, legal or regulatory violations, and damage to the company’s reputation. Regardless of the industry, productivity and cybersecurity are two essential elements of any organization. Today’s businesses face a tough dilemma between cybersecurity and productivity.
Cybersecurity is the protection of internet-connected systems such as hardware, software and data from cyberthreats. The practice is used by individuals and enterprises to protect against unauthorized access to data centers and other computerized systems. Statista estimates that the global cybersecurity industry will reach around $345.4 billion by 2026, mainly because of increased awareness and additional investments in security infrastructure.
Productivity is indispensable and plays an important role in business operations, it is one of the cornerstones of any business. Many employees report that the shift to remote work during the pandemic has boosted their productivity. However, current research is mixed not all data suggests that working from home bolstered yields during the pandemic.
Companies need to empower employees to maintain high productivity while also protecting their assets. There are several ways to combine cybersecurity and productivity to ensure businesses are safe and can achieve maximum output.
If employees perceive cybersecurity as a hurdle, they’ll find ways around it rather than following protocol. This may mean utilizing unauthorized file sharing applications, using weak passwords for easy access to accounts or leveraging personal devices to complete tasks. For this reason, it’s crucial to use a layered approach and simplify cybersecurity measures for employees.
IT teams must adopt the best cybersecurity practices to protect the company from potential cybersecurity threats. Employees responsible for securing a business’s data should consider adopting new storage technologies or widely used cloud-based services for their IT infrastructure. Cloud infrastructure comes with benefits and drawbacks. Some pros include reliability, cost-effectiveness, security and flexibility for employees, helping them maintain productivity while working remotely.
Investing in practical staff collaboration tools is another method to strike a balance between cybersecurity and efficiency. Without collaborative teams, productivity cannot be attained. Numerous well-liked collaboration solutions have improved security measures to safeguard businesses and their data.
No company can make cybersecurity a priority without implementing comprehensive employee cybersecurity training. Educating end-users is a crucial step in creating a good strategy. Threats can be avoided by educating staff members on the best cybersecurity procedures. As employees gain knowledge about cybersecurity and its significance, their opinions may shift. In other words, productivity may increase as workers grow accustomed to using built-in security solutions since cybersecurity will appear to be less of a challenge. A properly implemented training program will give employees the knowledge and abilities they need to perform their jobs in a safe and effective manner, recognizing the dangers and knowing what to do in the event of a potential cyber threat.
Employees productivity will increase as a result of extensive training, which will also benefit the business. Raising and maintaining knowledge is key to lowering the risk of a cyber threat because if an unskilled employee falls for a scam, it may lead to a locked-down computer’s downtime, the decline in client confidence if their data is hacked and Substantial financial cost to the business of both downtime and the IT support team needed to solve the problem.
An employee training programme will help ensure that the organization is not only better protected from cyber-attacks but will also allow organizations to follow through and hold employees accountable in terms of adhering to company policies once that training is complete.
The advantages and confidence of a comprehensive training program could ultimately save a significant amount of time, money, and distress. Especially if the training program is intended to provide consistent company-wide training on cyber security best practices, allow for regular phishing tests, which involve sending simulated phishing tests to staff and seeing who taps on the links so that employees who may require more training can be detected and End-users and the board should be informed about security risks and breaches.
Cybersecurity can go a long way to not only keep a business’s sensitive data safe, but to improve productivity as well. While getting all the required security measures in place may seem like a daunting task, it is one of the biggest investments organizations needs to do and take seriously. Cybersecurity awareness can boost productivity, both on an individual basis and across businesses and organizations thus, when practicing cybersecurity to improve your productivity, you are protecting both your work and yourself.
