The whole premise of managed services is to get ahead of problems to prevent them before they occur. This is accomplished with proper monitoring and management of IT assets, but since some problems are caused inadvertently by user actions, it’s important to address that as well through education and training.
In a modern office, just about everybody has a computer on their desk. But that doesn’t mean everyone in the office is particularly tech-savvy. Many people don’t have an affinity for technology and only want to know enough to do their jobs. It benefits the company, the employee and the IT support staff (internal or third party) to invest in some regular employee education. Here are two good examples:
Malware Prevention
Cyber criminals have learned to exploit naive users with clever emails that look legitimate but contain malware payloads or have links to infected sites. The recent ransomware outbreak was made possible principally by users’ unwitting cooperation.
Awareness of Productivity Tools
Productivity software suites are updated regularly, but users rarely take time to explore added capabilities, preferring instead to use the features they are accustomed to using. But software companies don’t do the updates just to provide snappier user interfaces; they add interoperability, shortcuts and more powerful collaboration tools. Many of these go unnoticed by office workers, and so the company does not get the benefits of the improved technology.
Education is the way to close the gap, but many businesses aren’t keen on the notion of sending their staff out for lengthy training. In some cases, deep-dive isn’t what is really needed. Instead, training can be a little more informal, focusing on highlights and tips and tricks.
When it comes to networks security, the training should be mandatory, consistent and refreshed periodically. The stakes are high, but training can greatly reduce the threat of user-enabled malware infections, especially when coupled with good technical security measures.
Clare Computer Solutions offers educational information in several forms: educational events, on-site training and through our website. We urge you to take advantage of these for your company’s benefit.
