Insider threats top the list of the most dangerous cyber risks for organizations worldwide. It doesn’t take much effort for insiders to steal your sensitive data, while such activities are hard to discover and impossible to prevent. Unfortunately, lack of visibility into user behavior is one of the key reasons why companies suffer from data breaches that involve either human negligence or malicious intent.

Incorporating data security in your work from home policy

Across every major news outlet the topic of cyber security threats and data privacy are impossible to miss. From multinational companies being relieved of millions of credit card numbers, to foreign hacking, to the selling of user data via social media, digital security is clearly more important than ever. Threats are being realized by vulnerable organizations large and small.

Best practices for securing your data when terminating an employee actually start with the initial onboarding process. Every established organization looking to scale should consult legal counsel after first having drafted an employee handbook. Once created, every employee should be provided an employee handbook outlining the acceptable use policy related to any and all corporate IT resources.

All employers want to create a workplace where employees feel safe, valued, and trusted. We know that work satisfaction breeds life satisfaction, and generates more productivity and engagement among employees. As leaders, we naturally question the ethicality of any system involving data and privacy, because we want to make sure our workforce feels protected and trusted. When it comes to employee monitoring, the practice can sound much more sinister than it actually is.

If you’re on the fence about starting a user activity monitoring system across devices or networks, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth the investment, or if you should just be more trusting of your employees. After all, you don’t want them to feel like they’re being micro-managed or taint their opinion of management.

Recently the Economist published two articles that discussed the increasing use of AI and employee monitoring in the workplace. Veriato is pleased that we were referenced in both of these articles. We feel they did a good job of presenting a balanced view of the benefits both AI and employee monitoring offer, as well as the potential downsides if they are not implemented and used wisely.

Chances are your organization already addresses cyber security to some extent in new employee onboarding. Whether that’s traditional training videos on cyber security that employees watch on their own time, presentations by IT, or brochures, most employees know that their companies have cyber security protocol and best practices. But how many of your employees actually know what the protocol and practices are?

Insider cyber security threats are much more prevalent than most of us realize.