Are Your Employees Hurting Your Small Business Security?

To all of you small and medium sized businesses in Southwest Oklahoma, I have a simple question: Do you lock your front door when you leave the house?

Of course, you do.

But what if you came home and found a window wide open? Suddenly, locking the door wouldn’t matter as much, right?

Now, think about your business.

You’ve likely invested in cybersecurity measures like firewalls, antivirus software, and password policies to protect your data. However, if your employees unknowingly leave digital “windows” open, all that security goes to waste.

Cybercriminals often target small and medium-sized businesses in Southwest Oklahoma because they assume these businesses lack strong security. In reality, most breaches happen because of human error, not because of a lack of technology.

This isn’t about blame, it’s about awareness. Employees often become a company’s biggest security risk, not because they mean to, but because they don’t realize how small mistakes can cause major problems.

Remote Work and Personal Devices Create Security Gaps

More businesses are allowing flexible work, and employees often use personal phones, tablets, or laptops for work. While this makes sense for convenience, it also increases security risks.

Unlike company-issued devices, personal devices often lack security protections like software updates, enterprise-grade antivirus, or secure Wi-Fi connections. Hackers know this and look for easy ways to exploit these weaknesses.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

Cyber threats might seem like a problem only large corporations face, but small businesses are frequent targets. If you think your business isn’t at risk, consider these facts:

• About 40% of employees admit to downloading customer data onto personal devices. This means sensitive information leaves your secure network, increasing the risk of a data breach.
• More than 65% of employees say they follow cybersecurity rules only sometimes or not at all. Many forward work emails to personal accounts, use unsecured Wi-Fi, or ignore security guidelines when using AI tools.
• Nearly half of employees reuse passwords across multiple work accounts. Even worse, one in three uses the same passwords for both personal and work accounts.

Now, imagine a hacker gains access to an employee’s personal email or social media account. If that password is also used for work, your entire business could be at risk.

What Can Businesses in Southwest Oklahoma Do?

The best solution is education and simple security policies.

Most employees don’t break security rules on purpose. They just don’t see the risks. By providing clear, practical guidelines, you can help them develop better habits that protect both them and your business.

Here’s what you can do today:

• Require employees to use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords for all work accounts.
• Limit access to company data to only approved and secure devices.
• Prohibit forwarding work emails to personal accounts.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for email, financial, and sensitive accounts.
• Offer short, regular cybersecurity training sessions to reinforce best practices.

Recognize and Reward Good Security Habits

Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue; it’s a team effort. Instead of only pointing out mistakes, recognize employees who follow best practices. If someone reports a phishing attempt or suggests a security improvement, highlight their efforts.

Positive reinforcement encourages employees to stay engaged in protecting company data.

Take Action Before It’s Too Late

Cyber threats are growing, and small businesses in Southwest Oklahoma are becoming bigger targets. The good news is that with the right tools and training, your employees can become your best defense instead of your biggest risk.

If you want to strengthen your business’s cybersecurity and train your employees on the latest threats, Wolferdawg IT Consulting can help.

Contact us today to learn how we can protect your business from cyber threats before it’s too late.