88% of adults between the ages of 18-29 years are on social media while 78% of those between 30 to 49 years can claim ownership of a social media account, according to Pew Research. This shows how the yearning for social recognition has become ingrained in present-day society. Employees might spend endless hours trying to remain connected to a fast-paced world.
Although this might seem like a Monday to most departments, it can present a security threat in the eyes of the IT professionals. The line is typically crossed when employees start sharing family vacation photos and even sensitive company information. However, this isn’t the only cyber-security risk that lies with allowing employees to access social media in an unprecedented manner.
Here’s more on the threat that lies in social media and how to mitigate it:
The Threat That Lies In Social Media
Having employees spread sensitive company information is only but the tip of the iceberg that this threat poses. While being a social connection platform, social media makes employees key targets of phishing attacks. An employee might unknowingly disseminate key information that could result in the attack of your organization.
Even the more savvy employees might still fall prey to malicious content that might be presented to them in the façade of ads. While your Free Server Monitoring Tools might notice the presence of such malicious devices in your system, sometimes it might be too late for any preventative steps to be made. Lastly, social media can be a tool for spreading ‘fake news’ which can not only damage the reputation of your business but also bring down your influence in the market.
But Social Media Presents Work-Life Balance For Many
With the current fast-paced work environment, balancing between the different workloads and social relationships might seem like an uphill task. Luckily, social media presents a way for employees to keep tabs on friends and family while being miles apart. It brings some satisfaction for any social gaps that are left behind by an impaired social life.
As such, it might be tough to eliminate it completely from the life of the modern day employee. In fact, most businesses – on realizing this – have switched gears to encourage employees to remain active on different platforms and act as brand ambassadors.
Policies Need To Be Set For Control Measures
Social media isn’t a passing fad, and it is those organizations that can manage to control it that will coexist with it. First of all, you ought to allow employees to use social media as the other alternative would bring down their productivity. At the same time, specific laws should be set to safeguard the data of clients, employees and even partners.
Employees need to know these policies first hand to avoid breaking them. Additionally, you should also invest in tools that help scan through social media to identify any red flags. This can provide enough security intelligence to diffuse critical cyber-security situations.
It Starts at the HR Level
Most employees might fail to understand the implication that social media has on their organization’s network security, and most policies do pretty little to provide this information. As such, continuous training workshops are critical in influencing the conduct of employees online.
The HR department should train your employees on the best practices for using social media settings. Employees should also be aware of the impact of oversharing to prevent the loss of PII. Lastly, they should be trained on the best practices for password management to prevent identity theft.
Conclusion
Social media is both a threat and an opportunity for any company with Generation Y and Z in its workforce. The trick is to limit the threat it poses to your organization. Consider setting and enforcing the right policies to accept it into your company’s culture.