Tip of the Week: Best Practices to Keep IT Happy

I want to ask you a question: how is your working relationship with your IT provider, whether you’ve contracted another business, or you have your own internal department? If you suspect it isn’t great, there may be good reason for that.

Chances are, you’re what IT would refer to as an “end user.” If you’re concerned that IT may not be too fond of you, it’s likely because the relatively inexperienced end user tends to be involved with a lot of the security problems that IT commonly worries about.

Let’s try and fix that. That way, it’ll be more likely that IT isn’t being called for avoidable issues, so their time and energy can be better spent on driving your business forward.

To do so, let’s review a few of the most common cybersecurity gaffs that the average end user tends to make. Seems pretty fitting for Cybersecurity Month, doesn’t it?

Clicking Everything

Okay, here’s the deal: if I were to add a link into this blog, there’s a pretty good chance that you’d click it automatically. You might even do it if I specifically told you not to.

Seriously, don’t click on this link.

If you didn’t click that link, congratulations! You’ve passed our test, and we want to offer you a free Caribbean Cruise. Fill out this form to claim your vacation!

See how easy it is for a cybercriminal to fool someone? This is a very basic form of a practice called phishing. By presenting a target with a ruse, the cybercriminal can then pull a bait-and-switch and carry out their attack. Sometimes, the link will install malware. Sometimes, it will lead to a spoofed website where you’ll be prompted for your credentials, or your payment card information, or some other form of sensitive data.

A user clicking these kinds of links, and generally falling for phishing attacks, could allow a cybercriminal to sidestep all your defenses. Really, it’s no wonder that these attacks stress IT out so much.

Installing Things

In a similar vein, the “Install” button is another problematic button for the end user. Whether it’s an application found online or a nifty browser add-on, there’s a pretty fair chance that one of your users might consider clicking it.

Rule of thumb: unless it comes from your operating system’s built-in store or has been given the a-okay by your IT team, don’t install anything. Better yet, leave it to IT to install anything you need for your responsibilities.

Neglecting Password Hygiene

Finally, if none of the other issues get under your IT resource’s skin, this one surely will. Passwords are the current standard in identity authentication, so if your users aren’t following best practices like:

• Using a different one for each account
• Avoiding common password combinations and conventions
• Keeping them private, instead sharing their passwords
• Memorizing them, instead writing them down

…among other cardinal security sins, your business could have vulnerabilities right under your nose.

One way that you can help fix this is by implementing a password management system. By saving all their passwords in an encrypted vault, the password manager ensures that your user has access to the credentials they need, when they need them. Plus, they’ll only have to remember the one password needed to get in. It’s a win-win.

Not only will taking better care of your security make IT’s lives easier, it will also help keep your entire business safe online.

With a cyberattack taking place against a business every 39 seconds or so, your IT team has enough on their plate to deal with without your other users contributing. At Microtechs, we’re aware of this, and can lend them a hand with our managed IT services. To learn more about what we offer, reach out to us at (415) 246-0101 today.