Enterprise cybersecurity and personal cybersecurity are two sides of the same coin. Both involve protecting devices and networks from viruses and securing data. However, there are significant gaps between the two, and to better protect their employees and their organizations, employers should do as much as they can to close the gap.
For businesses, cybersecurity is as essential as any other part of their infrastructure for success. An effective cybersecurity strategy checks several boxes, including preventing financial losses and damage to a company’s reputation, and protecting sensitive data such as proprietary knowledge, financial records, and employee data.
That said, cybersecurity is no less valuable for individual people. While they don’t have the concerns of keeping a large organization up and running, they do have to worry about the damage viruses can cause and their data being stolen. This can lead to identity theft, which can not only lead to financial losses, but a long and complex recovery process.
While enterprise and personal cybersecurity are two sides of the same coin, there is also a significant gap between the two that employers need to close to not only protect their organization, but their employees as well.
What is enterprise cybersecurity?
"Cybersecurity" is the collection of tools, practices, and tactics used to protect a digital device or data. It graduates to “enterprise” cybersecurity when talking about the digital networks of large organizations.
Large organizations have networks with a high number of devices (or "endpoints") connected to them. Endpoints include everything from desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, watches, and servers.
To further complicate the issue, these devices are constantly transmitting valuable data on both private and public networks. Not only do IT teams need to worry about securing the devices used by employees, but also the networks they operate on.
However, one could argue that the biggest job of cybersecurity teams is managing the people who use the devices and networks. Many digital threats involve social engineering (also known as “phishing”), which is the process of using psychology and manipulation to trick people into revealing valuable data, credentials, or other information.
Phishing is one of the main methods to steal this information, with criminals sending emails, alerts, texts, and other communications that ask employees to share login credentials or other sensitive information. These phishing attempts may even involve the creation of entire webpages designed to steal information.
As a result, a large part of cybersecurity is ensuring employees have the education, resources, and best practices they need to recognize and avoid these threats. A common rule in cybersecurity states that 90 percent of security measures rely on users following best practices, while the other 10 percent rely on cybersecurity features.
What is personal security?
Personal security is similar to enterprise cybersecurity, but at a much smaller scale. Just like enterprises, individual devices can be infected by viruses, often by downloading malicious files, clicking on malicious links, or adding applications with embedded malware.
Protecting these personal devices usually involves using a proven anti-virus tool to provide proactive protection from threats and scan devices for viruses like malware. But a reliable anti-virus is only one essential piece of the personal cybersecurity puzzle.
Just as in enterprise cybersecurity, one of the main challenges facing individuals is protecting their data, especially personally identifiable information (PII). Information like Social Security numbers, bank account information, medical information, and other details are often stolen through scams and phishing attempts and used to steal funds, commit fraud, or steal identities. In fact, the phishing problem is so prevalent that Google blocks over 100 million phishing emails each day.
While effective education can help individuals avoid falling victim to scams and phishing attempts that might steal their information, digital criminals are endlessly clever and are constantly coming up with new and convincing tactics. Without constant updates on new scams and threats, it can be very difficult for individuals to avoid becoming a victim.
Personal and enterprise cybersecurity: the overlap and the gap
Although enterprise cybersecurity and personal cybersecurity have clear differences, there is also significant overlap between the two.
For example, enterprises are entrusted with protecting the data of their employees, such as Social Security numbers, bank account information, and more. At the same time, employees are entrusted with protecting corporate data such as login credentials, corporate credit cards, and more.
But despite this overlap, there is also a significant gap between enterprise and personal cybersecurity: enterprises don’t protect employees when they’re off the clock, and employees can unintentionally expose enterprise data. For enterprises to better secure their data and better protect their employees, closing this gap is essential—after all, 71 percent of employees store sensitive work passwords on their devices, and 44 percent of employees use their personal devices for work.
By protecting employees’ personal devices, enterprises can not only prevent devastating situations like scams and identity theft, but can also better secure their own data and help prevent cyberattacks.
How companies can offer employees both enterprise and personal cybersecurity
Fortunately, there are a few ways that enterprises can close the gap between enterprise and personal cybersecurity. They include:
Provide protection for employee’s personal devices
With so many employees using their devices for work, an employee’s personal device presents an easy target for hackers looking to collect sensitive information like login credentials.
By simplifying the process of providing employees with a proven cybersecurity solution, enterprises can help prevent sensitive information from being stolen by viruses like malware while also protecting employees.
Scan the dark web for both personal and professional credentials
When an employee’s personal information is stolen by a scammer or hacker and sold on the dark web, that information could then be used in a cyberattack to gain access to an enterprise’s data.
By giving employees the ability to monitor the dark web for both their personal and professional credentials, companies can prevent that information from being used to compromise their systems while also protecting their employees from crimes like identity theft.
Offer frequent updates on the latest cyberattack trends and scam tactics
Cyber criminals are constantly coming up with new ways to trick unsuspecting victims into revealing confidential information, both personal and professional. Without frequent updates on the latest tactics and tricks, it can be hard to give employees the tools they need to recognize a phishing attempt or malicious link when they see one.
By providing employees with the frequent updates and educational resources they need to avoid becoming a victim of these schemes, employers can not only protect employees from harm but better protect their data and systems as well.
The good news? Allstate Identity Protection’s employee benefit offering can provide a solution to all of these challenges and more. To learn more about how an identity protection benefit can help your organization close the gap between personal and enterprise cybersecurity, contact us today.
