How Do You Ensure That Your Security Measures Don't Hinder Employee Productivity?

How Do You Ensure That Your Security Measures Don't Hinder Employee Productivity?

To help you balance security and productivity, we asked IT leaders and security experts for their best strategies. From integrating hassle-free security tools to adopting a compartmentalized approach, here are the top five methods these professionals shared to ensure security measures do not hinder employee productivity.

• Integrate Hassle-Free Security Tools
• Design User-Friendly Security Measures
• Understand Business Processes First
• Communicate Security Changes Clearly
• Adopt a Compartmentalized Approach

Integrate Hassle-Free Security Tools

We've learned that the best way to encourage our team to prioritize security is to make it easy and hassle-free. Instead of adding extra steps or complicated processes, we've integrated a fast, free, and readily-available VPN into their everyday workflow.

Think of it like this: Would you be more likely to wear a seatbelt if it was uncomfortable and took forever to fasten? Probably not. But if it was simple and convenient, you wouldn't even think twice about buckling up. The same goes for our VPN. By removing the friction, we've made it second nature for our employees to protect themselves and our company's data, without sacrificing their productivity.

Design User-Friendly Security Measures

Security measures should be designed with the end user in mind. Involve employees in the design and testing phases to ensure the security tools are user-friendly and fit into their workflows without causing frustration. Utilize SSO with MFA for a seamless solution to reduce the number of passwords employees need to remember and manage. This simplifies access while maintaining security. Communicate clear security policies that are easy to understand. Training sessions should focus on the rationale behind security measures and how they contribute to the overall protection of the organization. Have a well-defined, efficient incident-response plan in place. This ensures that if a security issue arises, it is handled quickly and with minimal impact on productivity.

Understand Business Processes First

First and foremost, we need to understand that the business process will always trump the security process except in certain sectors. In general, the CISO's primary mission is to limit/prevent sensitive information from leaving their network. Understanding how each business process works and uses IT is one of the first things that you should do. Tailor your defensive strategy around sensitive data protection. Create an awareness program to educate your users on the importance of data security. Lastly, this is an ongoing effort that needs to be updated as time progresses.

Communicate Security Changes Clearly

The main step that we have taken as an organization is to communicate the potential security measures with the team. This helps us as InfoSec better understand how the security changes will affect their day-to-day operations. We want to better understand how the changes we make affect everyone, and once we understand that, we can help work with them to be secure while still being productive. We may not be able to see every aspect of every change, and understanding that helps us be better security people.

Adopt a Compartmentalized Approach

Instead of laying out a blanket security policy to cover the entire company, we adopt a compartmentalized, risk-based approach, reviewing departmental security structures, identifying associated risks to sensitive data and processes, and introducing security protocols to eliminate these risks and potential threats. This way, the entire workforce does not have to go under the scanner unnecessarily or spend valuable time following stringent security steps that are not critical to their roles and tasks.