In light of the latest data security climate, where a risk of a breach is higher than ever, it is of utmost importance to keep valuable data safe. Microsoft’s Azure Information Protection (AIP) helps in achieving this goal and it’s the solution we recommend.
Particularly when you consider that the UK average cost of a data breach is close to £2.87 million ($3.68 million) according to a recent report from the Ponemon Institute.
Azure Information Protection is a cloud-based data protection solution that keeps data safe through advanced encryption, identity, and authorisation policies.
But.
Adopting AIP isn’t enough – you need to train your staff on how to use it properly. Newly accepted regulations like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), combined with concerns about what awaits the UK in terms of free data flow after Brexit, make data security an important aspect to every company, so it makes sense to invest into Azure Information Protection staff training.
Ensuring Your Employees Are ‘On Board’
Change is something many employees are not fond of, so getting them on board with Azure Information Protection Staff Training is the first thing to do before you begin with implementation and actual training.
When your employees are educated on GDPR and data breach consequences, they will become more engaged in Azure Information Protection staff training. Not being compliant and risking a breach could cost them their job because many businesses that suffer a major data breach never recover.
But, how do you do hold Azure Information Protection Staff Training?
Step #1 Educate on the Risks
Start by making your staff aware of the dangers of security breaches and just how little it takes for one to occur if data protection is lacking.
Step #2 Explain Their Role in Compliance & Data Protection
Many employees are not aware of just how important they actually are in keeping data safe. Start by explaining their role in the company security and compliance. Explain that whenever they send data – be it email or access to a folder – to somebody inside or outside of the company, it can be a security risk. The risk here is that often there are no resources that would monitor or restrict misuse of that shared data.
The most recent statistics included in IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report show that a staggering 27% of all data breaches that happened was caused by a human error – in other words, employee negligence was the cause.
Think about the following scenario: You are sending sensitive financial data to an outside partner. The partner is negligent and sends this confidential data to parties that should not have access to it. This constitutes a data breach.
A data breach has serious consequences far beyond actual financial costs including:
- Hacking
- Downtime
- Loss of customers
- Loss of personally identifiable information (PII) from customers and employees
- Loss of intellectual property
- Loss of financial information
- Breach of data protection laws
- Legal fines and claims
- Reputation damage
Step #3 Show Why Azure Information Protection is the Solution
Proper training will help reduce the risk of a data breach as a result of human error. Before you fully implement AIP, ensure your staff
Explain how Azure Information Protection works and how, when integrated, in the organisation it can help on an operational level.
Step #4 Show off Features They Can Use
During Azure Information Protection staff training, the focus should be on providing specific and detailed guidelines to each department. Present all the important features that AIP offers:
- You Can Classify Your Data – AIP helps classify and label data based on how sensitive it is through a system of labels that automatically protect it once applied.
- 24/7 Protection – Once you classify data and protect it, it stays protected. AIP follows data and ensures it’s protected even when shared outside of your
organisation or stored on an external device. - Track Data and Revoke Access – AIP helps you track what is happening to data you have shared, and in case it’s needed, you can easily revoke access.
- Log and Report Support Compliance – Get access to powerful features that help
analyse and monitor usage of data. The reporting feature helps maintain compliance with rules and regulations. - Safe Collaboration – Thanks to labeling and classification, you have complete control over who has access to data and how they can interact with it.
- Microsoft Office Integration – AIP is integrated into MS Office so you can secure any document with a single click as well as automatically in the background.
- Easy to Manage and Deploy – AIP works in the cloud and on-site equipment too.
Step #5 Make it Specific
Once done, provide each department with detailed guidelines and best practices for using AIP specifically for them. For example, teach your finance department staff on how to use AIP features like the Do Not Forward Button or Sensitivity Bar, or your marketing department on how to apply AIP labels and send data to external partners.
If you want to make your AIP staff training easier, we’ve created an Azure Information Protection Staff Training Course on The TowerWatch Academy.
