THE HUMAN ELEMENT

If you missed what a Managed Service Provider is, check it out before you take a deeper look into how an MSP protects your company. If you missed Part 1: Hardware and Software, have no fear. You can read it and pop back here. Now, let’s get into how partnering with an MSP protects you from the human element.

Everyday Criminals

Sometimes, crime revolves around opportunity. If you have an open-door policy at your business, it makes it easy for an everyday criminal to waltz inside. And once inside, they can poke around computers that aren’t locked or secured. All it takes is a couple of minutes, searching on an unattended computer for things like “Financial Records” or “Credit Card.” A crime of opportunity happens in an instant, and that criminal can walk away with a sheet of credit card numbers or bank statements.

How an MSP protects you: MSPs are well-versed in things like simple security, such as requiring all workstations to be secured with individual passwords. Once an MSP has audited your network, they can find where you are most vulnerable and take the necessary measures to prevent unauthorized use of computers and wireless internet. On top of that, most MSPs can assist your company in becoming PCI compliant, which means all the credit card information you have on file isn’t accessible to the naked eye. So even if someone were able to access a computer at your business, they couldn’t download a sheet with full credit card numbers anyway.

Untrained Employees

You probably hire your employees based on their ability to perform the specific job you listed, right? And I’m sure they do a fine job. But unfortunately, a lot of them don’t come equipped with the right cybersecurity skills. No, we’re not talking about certified technical skills, but the basics of staying safe online. All it would take is Jim in accounts payable clicking on an unsafe link from an email and your sensitive financial information is in the hands of cybercriminals. As humans, we can’t know everything. The good news is, all it takes is a little education and your employees will turn from the weakest link to your strongest asset.

How an MSP Protects You: Some MSPs host either on-site or off-site training classes for employees. They’re basic and simple but make a huge difference in your cybersecurity plan. By simply showing employees how to spot a phishing email or what digital hygiene looks like, they’re less likely to endanger your network.

Vindictive Employees

The dark side of the normal employee is the rare vindictive employee. This employee is the one who had a bad attitude all along and once they were fired, decided to take all their worldly wrath out on the company. Vindictive employees are very dangerous, mainly because they have access to company records. Without the proper off-boarding procedure, vindictive employees may have access for days, months, or even years to the company network. And sometimes, depending on how sour they are, they can delete or modify records before they’re caught.

How an MSP protects you: MSPs have ample experience with the correct onboarding and offboarding procedures, exact times and all. In layman’s terms, this means those new employees have access to what they need the first day they start work, and employees that are fired or laid off have all access removed the moment they’re told. This eliminates the possibility of an angry employee stalking back to their desk, downloading sensitive information, and walking out. Or even going home, logging into their workstation remotely, and destroying information. Utilizing the proper strategy to make sure that never happens is critical to protecting your business.