IT is all Greek to me. What a great pun for those that aren’t IT savvy. Not everyone can be the expert in everything – even within the IT industry. It’s not uncommon to run across colleagues (looking at you, marketing friends) that, shall we say, have different levels of technical skills and aspirations. On the one hand, it is understandable. Protecting our boundaries and systems is a complex and stressful activity that is best left to those that have studied the ins and outs of a particular discipline. On the other hand, secure practices should be everyone’s responsibility – not just those unsmiling, serious people that look at you as if you’ve just stolen a $10 note from their wallet.
Is that really true? Can you really rely on others to protect you? Well, yes to some degree, but I truly believe everyone has a duty to learn the basics of good cybersecurity hygiene. What to click and what not to click. I could cite my father-in-law here. I receive many a phone call or text asking me if it’s ok to press a link found in an email from a bank. I ask if he is a member of that bank and get an emphatic “no.” After a deep breath and an extended rolling of eyes, I ask why on earth would it be real then? “It looked important” is the reply I usually get. He has done the right thing though: he has checked in with someone that knows.
And to use an epithet often cited by a colleague: common sense, it just isn’t that common. So, all people that use IT should know to be suspicious of unexpected mails, tempting attachments, unsolicited princely bank transfers from banana republics and other attempts to get you to do something you really shouldn’t. If in doubt, just as my father-in-law did, talk to an expert. The best way to spread common sense is to educate yourself, your teams and your customers about the principles of security.
On top of education, implementing a strong cybersecurity strategy is critical. One Identity can help you to build a strong defence with our unified identity security platform. It ensures that users are who they say they are, manages all user permissions across extensive hybrid environments and allows only the right users access to the right resource. This can be painless and intuitive, and when coupled with awareness of the tactics and behaviours of threat actors, it will put you in good stead to keep your data safe.
You can help spread common sense and keep yourself educated about cybersecurity by attending One Identity Resilience 2022, 29 Nov.-1 Dec., in Barcelona. This event is solely focused on identity security and attracts top brands from many industries, as well as some of the world’s most knowledgeable cybersecurity experts.
We’ll look after you and give you the information you need to make good cybersecurity decisions.
Get details about Resilience 2022 events.
