Keep Your Data Secure Throughout HRIS Implementation

With the rise of digital transformation in businesses, data security has become a primary concern in offices. From competitive secrets to employees’ paycheck to productivity tracking and more, every information which keeps a business running efficiently is at stake. With increasing cases of data breaches, securing your company’s data and employee information has become more important than ever before. Honestly, businesses lose a lot more than just money when it comes to cyberattacks.. The repercussions include damage to reputation, loss of confidentiality, personal details, and heavy penalties as well. 

Your system contains highly sensitive information about employees, payroll, medical details, and whatnot. Moreover, if you are switching from manual to an automated system like HRIS, then the data is more prone to be compromised. During the implementation phase, the system is susceptible to security breach, thereby, requires employers to be attentive. Any leak in it or identity theft can impact not only the concerned employee but the whole organization. Even a single missing or a misplaced number and it can jeopardize the integrity of your data. Hence, such a breach needs to be addressed as soon as possible with an appropriate solution. Whether it is an external or internal threat, assuring data integrity is a critical aspect for any organization. 

Keeping all these factors in mind, we have come up with a few steps to guide you through HRIS implementation and maintain data integrity in your office. Follow them and eliminate the chances of any slip ups that can adversely affect your workplace. Have a read:

Train Your Team

Now that you have integrated HRIS into your existing system, it’s about time to educate your employees about the importance of data protection and spread security awareness. With the company’s HR system moved on an integrated platform, the information and data need to be handled differently now. Your team members should know how it will work and all the precautions that they have to take to keep the data safe. Start by creating a separate team that can plan a training program and strategically execute it. Of course, as a business owner, you might not reach every employee, so make sure that the team consists of executive management and initiative leaders who can convey everything effectively. Let people know what is at risk in case any information is leaked and how it can impact their job and security. Also, highlight all other consequences of a breach in data security to discourage them from any ethical conduct. The training sessions must include phishing testing and how they are accountable for non-compliance with the procedure. 

Internal Cybersecurity

Here is a reality check - Employees are one of the weakest links in any organization’s security and are more often the reason behind data breaches. They have access to download, edit and update details and this can go against the company. Of course, many of the cases are unintentional where workers don’t even realize that they are the source of any leak in the information. However, there are times when many office members use vital information for their personal benefits intentionally. Preventing them is not easy but proper monitoring and audit tools can minimize the chances to a great extent. Keep track of employee activities and restrict access to selected employees. Remember, as an employer, it is your duty to safeguard company and data at all times and you can spare no effort to ensure the same. 

Restrict Access

You must put your trust in your employees and never question their loyalty toward the company. Having said that we also believe that not every employee is reliable and trustworthy, hence, it is always best to be cautious and take preventive measures. To be certain that workers don’t use any piece of information for their personal interest, it is important that you restrict the access to information at each level. You or the HR manager must have the ultimate control of data and the employee could only change his/her personal information. Furthermore, if there is any change or updates, then it must require authorization from a senior manager. By limiting access according to the relevancy of the job, you can decide the data that they can reach or modify. Staff members don’t need to log in to the system or control the data that concern them and even the managers need to see the information about his/her team members. This role-based restriction can put a full-stop to internal threats during the implementation stage. Yes, when an employee is terminated or resigns, immediately limit the access to the system. 

Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

In case of public disclosure or any breach in security, we are quick to change the password and login credentials. However, at times it can be too late. As studies reveal, businesses couldn’t detect any breach until hundreds of days later and by the time they take action, hackers get sufficient time to accomplish their work and expose details. Thus, it is important to acknowledge such threats and take the necessary steps to save employee details against compromise. For this, Two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication can come in handy which is already a popular technique in the banking industry. It involves confirming the ownership by two separate passwords set by two people. Once, the password is entered, the user will receive OTP or SMS to reassure the authentic access to data. You can also use apps like Microsoft or Google authenticator to add a precautionary verification step. As the codes are changed after every request in multi-factor authentication, it becomes a lot difficult to hack any account. 

Use Encryption

If your company is using the unencrypted system, then it is almost like leaving doors open for any leak or breach. Anyone can enter the database and extract the information that they seek. Therefore, email or data encryption can prove to be a powerful way to keep data away from any infringement. It includes a password that is encrypted and stored in the database. You can also use it for email or any correspondence. Even when you send recruitment-related messages, this technique can be the best way to guard any delicate information. No IT or system administrator can access these texts, thereby, keeping the information between you and the concerned party. Double-check the encryption on all emails and data as even some employees can be involved in cybercrime and misuse official information for personal benefit. 

Strong Password Policies

To roughly give you the figures, almost 65% of data breaches are due to stolen, weak or default passwords. Honestly, there is no such thing as an unbreakable password. Hackers and IT experts are proficient at guessing these login credentials. Even your employees, scammers or managers can give away or trace passwords within a few days or hours to skin through the data. Once the system is infiltrated, there is no way you can turn things back and re-establish control. However, it is still advisable to set a strong password and implement a strict password policy. Announce guidelines that help employees with their password settings and prohibit them from sharing it with others. Use a passcode which is long, consisting of upper and lower case letters, numbers, special characters, etc. It will make the hacking journey longer and demand effective hardware to finally break it. There should also be an expiry date of the password to assure frequent changes. 

Conclusion

Whenever there is a case of a security breach and data leak, HR managers and employers need to handle the situation tactfully and understand the measures that they should take. An organized plan makes it easier to recover from the situation and resolve the issue at the earliest. Furthermore, it also prepares you for any such damage in the future. Of course, you have to be proactive to keep the data safe and secure. Although every HRIS comes with a certain security system and protection, these tips will help you optimize its effectiveness. Never neglect the security concerns and keep them a priority, especially while implementing a new system in your office as this is the time when data is most vulnerable. Moreover, thanks to the technology you now have numerous options to ensure the protection of personal and confidential details of employees and company.

If you are looking for a reliable HRIS that can safeguard your information, then Teemwurk is the right fit for you. It comes with a data security system with features that offer assistance at every step. Connect with us now for further inquiries.