How to Identify and Train Your Riskiest Employees Effectively

One of the most critical tasks in any project is to manage employees. But not all employees are created equal in the world of risk management. So, some employees pose a higher risk than others because of a lack of compliance, negligence, or the fact that they are completely unaware of cybersecurity. And by being able to identify these riskiest employees at an early stage  thereby offering the appropriate training – companies stand a far better chance of avoiding operational hiccups, data breaches, or expensive mistakes.

Mimecast – Important to help identify and understand threat risk. In your efforts to mitigate the risks of these types of threats, Mimecast is an essential product widely used in cybersecurity.

Identifying the Riskiest Employees

To manage and reduce the risk of your employees, find out first who the employees are who pose the greatest risk. This can be hard, because those who are the most damaging frequently aren’t those who make overt trouble themselves. Risk is complex and presents itself as a variety of factors, ranging from carelessness or insufficient knowledge to ill will. Knowing their areas of risk helps organizations design better systems to manage that risk toward the star.

An important aspect is the attitude of employees towards company rules. Workers who regularly ignore or circumvent established practices around data protection, security, and operations can represent real threats. Tracking policy compliance with such devices as internal audits and feedback loops may offer insight into who is most likely to fall out of compliance.

With respect to cybersecurity, this means remaining alert at all times, and staff who engage in risky behavior, such as poor password hygiene or ignoring phishing alerts, are living instances worth closer monitoring.

Solutions such as Mimecast can help identify these behaviors with visibility into risks related to email, like malicious attachments or unsafe links being shared through communications. This is especially applicable with so many of the cyber threats that infiltrate a company coming through email. By monitoring that behavior, Mimecast helps to pinpoint employees who might inadvertently open the door to an attack.

Another significant risk indicator is the way employees are interacting with sensitive data. Workers with access to top-secret data have to meet higher levels of protection against exposure. Staff who do not comply with safe handling procedures or who appear unaware of data security practices should be recognized as risk factors. Risky employees can also refer to those who do not take it upon themselves to protect their data or devices from alternative threats, such as using out-of-date software and insecure networks.

In addition, turnover among employees and job satisfaction may correlate with risk. Whenever an organisation has a revolving door when it comes to the workforce, is staffed with individuals who feel that they simply lack motivation or are disconnected from the business, chances are there's an associated risk involved, because unhappy employees can act out and not perform as expected, or even end up deliberately sabotaging systems. The sooner we detect these behaviors through check-ins, performance reviews, and feedback loops, the easier it is for a manager to address issues long before they reach this level.

Analyzing Data from Multiple Sources

Once you suspect who the riskiest employees are, it is time to check the data a little more. By aggregating and analyzing data from a number of different systems, HR, IT, and security, we can create a more holistic understanding of which employees pose the greatest risk.

Email security products such as Mimecast are essential in that process, especially as a lot of threats, from data breaches to cyber attacks, derive from email. Mimecast's complete email security package with protection against bad URLs, dangerous attachments, and advanced targeted attacks such as spear-phishing. Managers can identify trends by looking at the threat intelligence data provided by Mimecast, such as who keeps clicking on suspicious links or opening emails from unknown senders.

"In addition, adding the analytical capabilities of Mimecast can be leveraged to create patterns for employee behavior around email and communication. For example, staff members who are hit by more than one phishing email may need to receive further training in threat detection. By analyzing those risks and cross-referencing with other data (such as HR and performance data), you can identify who needs direct intervention and training today.

Training Your Riskiest Employees

Once high-risk employees have been identified, the next step is to provide targeted training, such as the Mimecast Human Risk-Centric Security Awareness & Training program. It's not that we should punish or quarantine these employees, but instead give them education and training to reduce the likelihood of being an unwitting vector for a threat.

One useful way to potentially reduce vulnerabilities is by designing role-based training that accounts for an employee’s specific role. For example, cybersecurity or IT staff may be trained on advanced threat recognition and secure communication, but front-line employees might need to take more general courses covering best practices for data security and ways to avoid phishing. Role-based training is in place to equip staff with skills and knowledge that are relevant to the management of specific risks in their own areas.

For information-handling employees, training should emphasize how to handle and store data correctly when sharing it. Making sure employees understand their legal and ethical obligations to maintain data privacy can help avoid errors that might add up to a very expensive breach. Mimecast can also secure confidential communications via encryption and security capabilities, which provide an added layer of safeguard for the employee and the business.

Cybersecurity awareness is a particularly important training area. Your workforce should also be educated on new phishing strategies, social engineering approaches, and cyber threats that could target them specifically. While Mimecast includes email filtering capabilities to help thwart phishing and malware in its services, it remains an effective tool because when employees can also identify them independently, you minimize the potential threat. Impromptu Phishing Simulations Regular practice can be especially valuable in helping your staff feel confident in responding to phishing, even if it’s from their own desk.

But in addition to training specific skills, you must also build a company culture of security and risk awareness across every department. This can be content that keeps employees informed about cybersecurity policies, clear channels for reporting concerns (like “reports show motivated behavior like this helps address concerns before they become incidents”), and rewards for those who behave proactively to manage risks.

Continuous Monitoring and Feedback Loops

Training doesn’t just stop once your session is over. It requires a feedback loop and monitoring to be set up. That includes following up to see how employees are using their training in the field – and to provide help where it’s needed.

Solutions such as Mimecast enable the continuous monitoring of email and communication activities with immediate alerts if dangerous behavior is identified. This lets you reach out to employees who aren't following the best practices they learned, providing them with refresher training or extra pointers.

Ongoing feedback is crucial. Staff also need to learn that risk management is a continuous duty, not a box-ticking exercise. Regular follow-ups, performance reviews, and security check-ins should go a long way toward helping employees stay aware of the risks they present and to encourage increasingly safer behavior.

Conclusion

Managing problem employees is not merely a matter of identifying them but of dealing with the behavior, providing targeted training, and implementing systems for continuous improvement. Tools like Mimecast will help companies catch such email-based hazards earlier on and track dangerous actions better. From there, providing customized training by role ensures workers know what’s expected of them and have the tools necessary to defend themselves – and the business.

A security-conscious culture can limit the dangers that employees present when it comes to security. It’s important to remember that the point isn’t to penalize employees but to give them both the wisdom and the tools they can use to make smarter, safer decisions in transactional life.

 In the end, the identification and training of high-risk employees is a journey that can take time, personnel commitment, investment in your people, and effective use of technology.