Protect Company Data From Human Error With These Practices

Around 20% of businesses fail in their first year. There are a lot of reasons for this, which include human error and poor technology strategies. This article is going to touch on both of them.

If you want your company to be successful in 2025, then you are going to need to make the most of big data. One survey found that 97.2% of companies invest in data analytics.

However, many of them don’t have the best big data strategies in place. They may make a number of mistakes, which can include neglecting to protect their data from hackers or accidental deletion. This is a point we didn’t have a chance to talk about in our article about the importance of big data for entrepreneurs.

The old adage “to err is human” applies in many instances. It applies in the business world just as much as anywhere else. After all, humans are not robots. But in business, forgiveness should not be the answer. The answer, of course, is to update procedures and tools to avoid as many future human errors as possible.

Sometimes errors can result in more than an embarrassing typo, too! Some errors can cause breaches in data and security. Don’t fret though, there are things you can do to protect yourself from vulnerabilities. Keep reading to learn a few practices you can enact to protect your company data from human error.

1. Use a Global Address List (GAL)

One way to help protect your company data is by having a global address list (GAL) and keeping it up to date. This basically serves as an electronic address book. Think about times when you’ve used Outlook or Microsoft 365 at work in the past and looked up the email addresses of other employees. That is a GAL. This can list out the employee and their email and phone numbers.

The GAL is managed centrally through the organization, and you can sync global address lists to ensure your device has the most current information. This helps protect data in that the organization can control access to their distributions lists. One of the big benefits of a GAL from a data protection standpoint is helping employees avoid being duped by scammers and hackers. If your employees have the GAL synced to their cell phones, calls from legitimate staff and executives will match up with the GAL. If a scammer calls and pretends to be one of those individuals, the mismatch should alert the employee that they should not divulge any personal or company information.

2. Move to Cloud Computing

Moving over to cloud computing can be a way to protect your organization from human error as well. Microsoft 365, for example, lets a user login to their profile and access the systems granted to them. This does a couple of things for organization. First, it lets you scale up quickly and can more easily allow for remote and hybrid access for your employees. This can help you be flexible and nimble.

On the security front, it can help increase efficiency, privacy, and security with onboarding and offboarding team members. If all programs are under the same profile, including saved files on SharePoint and OneDrive, shutting off access can happen in a widespread and instantaneous manner. Pushing updates out to in-person and remote staff, or if your organization has a wide geographical footprint is more efficient with cloud computing as well.

3. Include Security in Training

You train employees on how to do their role. They might complete training for acceptance and sensitivity issues. They may even take workplace physical safety and inclement weather training. Add data security and internet use training to your list. One of the greatest threats to an organization can be through email phishing attacks.

Have training set up to teach employees how to spot phishing attacks. Include other security issues within the training as well such as suspicious websites, email addresses, and attachments. Some organizations even have their security team send out phishing tests to see how well employees are handling these types of emails. In addition to your training, set up an inbox where employees can report suspicious email and threats.

4. Ensure Policies for Handling Sensitive Data

As mentioned in the previous tip, set up an email for IT security where employees can report suspicious activity. Create a policy around this inbox as well. In addition to your training and reporting policies, set up policies for handling sensitive data. For example, if you are an organization that deals with patient or client data, set up a destruction policy. If an employee receives an email that includes this type of data, make sure they know how to alert the sender it will be destroyed, and then know how to safely and securely delete it.

To send safe, but sensitive information, make sure your organization has a way to encrypt or password protect attachments as an extra layer of protection. This can be especially helpful if sending to external partners. Paper or printed data is a lot easier to dispose of. Have secure and locked shred boxes for that type of information. There are even companies who will pick up secure bins and dispose of them for you.

5. Require Password Changes and Software Updates

One area where employees can be a target is through using the same password over and over again. Weak passwords can create a vulnerability as well. According to a Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, weak or stolen passwords are the cause of 81% of hacking breaches. Require password changes and enforce special characters to increase security.

Having out of date software can also leave a hole in your security. It’s paramount that employees allow for system pushes to keep their computers and systems up to date. Installing the updates can help protect your files and other information. Hackers look for bugs or weak spots in older versions too. If your IT and security team say it’s a good idea to update, listen to them.

Though you hear cyber attacks are around every corner, you have the ability to reduce the odds your business will be a victim. Following the practices outlined in this article can help you significantly reduce your risk. Though human error can lead to most issues, your employees are also your greatest asset. Equip them with the knowledge to operate safely online. Doing so can create a culture that focuses on knowledge and security.