Employees: Your Most Dangerous IT Threat
Companies' most significant threat to the integrity of their technology systems is not hackers and other outsiders trying to steal information - it's the employees. From stealing trade secrets to something as seemingly careless as sending confidential information through unencrypted email, according to this WSJ article (registration required), this is what keeps the IT experts in companies awake at night. The article notes that about 29% of security incidents originated from in-office employees or remote employees. Some of the more typical practices observed include: leaving open email unintended, sending confidential information over insecure servers, keeping passwords on post-it notes nearby, etc.
Many organizations attempt to minimize these threats by asking their IT departments to draft comprehensive policies. However, without coordinating these efforts with human resources, there is often a lack of focus on training and reinforcement. When the information technology department and the human resources department work together on an important issue such as this, organizations can significantly reduce their risks.
right! Clean desk policies all the way!!