The 30-Day Guide to Security-First Onboarding

When it comes to onboarding, every business owner knows that the first days, weeks, and months are the most critical. They set the standard for what the employee can expect during their tenure with your business. But more than that, employers today have security standards to worry about, as well as indoctrinating new hires into what is hopefully a security-first company culture.

Today, we’ve got a guide to help you navigate the first 30 days of the onboarding process to ensure your new hires start with the right security mindset.

Hardcode Standard Operating Procedures In the First 72 Hours

Before your employees get too comfortable, they need to understand the non-negotiables of your company’s digital security.

Ideally, you make security feel like a natural extension of each employees’ job description rather than an annoying IT hurdle. Within the first 72 hours, you should touch on, at minimum, multi-factor authentication (MFA) enrollment to ensure they have secure access to company resources, as well as the various rules you might have in place regarding internal and external communications. Taking care of this will help you nip shadow IT habits in the bud long before they become an issue.

Remember, consistency on Day 1 will help you prevent a crisis on Day 100.

Gamify Phishing Awareness During the First 2 Weeks

New hires are the ideal target for business email compromise (BEC) attacks, specifically because they don’t yet know the voices and names of your entire executive team.

Hackers might try to send urgent requests to newcomers, and in their haste to make a great first impression, they might slip up and accidentally stir up trouble. Take the first two weeks to provide any necessary security training and send mock phishing attacks to teach them valuable lessons in a safe, controlled environment. We also recommend that you make it abundantly clear that your company has a zero-blame culture, and reassure any new hires that if they click on something suspicious, their first response should be to report it to IT.

Remember, the last thing any employee should do is try to cover up or hide a security-related mistake out of fear of punishment. That’s not how you build a healthy company culture.

Verify Software Proficiency to Prevent Security Shortcuts

Security breaches can occur when an employee doesn’t know how to use a tool properly, leading them to find an easier workaround (an idea known as shadow IT).

To prevent security breaches due to a lack of knowledge on your new hires’ part, ensure they receive tool training for any and all solutions you require them to use throughout the workday. This includes all communications systems and file-sharing systems, as well as other specialized software. Additionally, be sure to audit their permissions and make sure they only have access to data they need to do their jobs.

When in doubt, simply ask your new hires where they experience the most friction with the tech stack. This gives you more information and opportunity to address issues before they escalate.

Remember, a security-first culture is not built in a one-hour training video; it’s built by taking security seriously from day 1. If your business could use a more streamlined onboarding process, particularly in regard to IT and security, KalioTek can help. Our trusted technicians will help your business implement more effective policies and procedures to achieve record-breaking onboarding efficiency.

Learn more today by calling us at (866) 625-2025.