In a recent webinar, we discussed why humans are so important to the IT world. And why it’s not just a tool discussion, but a human one.

Faulty Integrations

In the cybersecurity space, expertise is slim. Because of this, people try to integrate with systems, trying to find expertise through technology.

Unfortunately, it takes one faulty piece to bring the whole chain down. This is why humans are so important to technology: without them, the technology would falter and not be able to solve why for itself. That’s where we come in by implementing procedures on how to not only prevent but prepare.

Employee Training

Employees are often the weak link to a business when it comes to cybersecurity. While experts can spot faults, non-experts can create them.

According to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breaches Investigations Report, 82% of data breaches involved a human element. This includes incidents in which employees expose information directly (for example, by misconfiguring databases) or by making a mistake that enables cyber criminals to access the organization’s systems.

Your team isn’t trained in cybersecurity which puts your organization at great risk. A plan needs to be in place because preparing for when and not if a threat is going to occur puts you in a better place to mitigate any damage. Once you have your cybersecurity plan in place it’s vital that this is communicated to your entire team. 

Preparing for Disaster

Being in the cloud isn’t enough anymore, knowing how and where you’re backing up your data is important. Veeam took up a 3-2-1 principle for your data that is gaining traction. Because there is no one solution to data protection, taking this approach ensures you’re covering your bases.

This principle allows a foundation of rules that can be flexible for your specific needs:

  • Production copy
  • Local copy
  • Off-site copy

For extra security, an additional copy can be used: an immutable copy of that data. This ensures that if any component fails, you have that data copied in multiple places to be able to recover it.

On top of that, testing that backup is vital to ensure it’s doing it’s job. It could be corrupt so regularly testing it to make sure it’s not a waste of time and your backup isn’t faulty could save you an incredible amount of data.

IT Burnout

Companies often think one person can be their cybersecurity team and often, that person has other tasks outside of monitoring data. This is a common mistake companies make: putting that security on one person instead of assembling a team.

Often, when humans look at something for too long, they start to experience burnout. In this case, the employee handling the data and staring at it day in and day out can cause slip-ups. They will start letting things through because their guard isn’t up like it was at the beginning. This is why it’s important to have fresh eyes on the data and rotate employees through different tasks, as well as taking breaks.

60% of employees in data security jobs leave their position yearly for a new one due to this burnout. It is extremely hard to replace people in these kinds of positions and the rate will have to go up when experiencing that turnover.

We Need Humans

Humans are necessary to technology because they bring expertise, problem-solving skills, and a fresh perspective. Without them, technology would falter and fail. When it comes to cybersecurity in today’s threat landscape, humans need to be a top priority and treated as such with training, fresh perspectives, and teamwork. It’s not just about the technology, but the people behind it that make it run smoothly.

ISG Technology can work with your company to ensure you have the proper technology in place to proactively protect your organization.   Give our team a call today or visit our contact us page to schedule a consultation with one of our cybersecurity experts.