In 2017, several major cyber attacks affected large businesses. Some affected millions of people: for example, the Equifax and Uber breaches compromised millions of people’s information. Beyond the high-profile attacks affecting millions of consumers, many small businesses faced the constant threat of falling victim to one of many malware attacks on corporate systems.
Unfortunately, the threat of cyber attacks has not slowed. Cyber attacks are forecasted to be one of the top threats to businesses in 2018, and according to research conducted by the National Cyber Security Alliance, nearly half of small businesses have faced a cyber attack.
Therefore, creating an incident response plan is crucial so that your company is ready to respond to a cyber attack when it hits. Your incident response plan will have several different components; quick and effective internal communication is one crucial part of a plan.
Internal Communication is Crucial
For example, an attack might mean that you must tell your employees to turn off their laptops and other devices immediately to prevent the spread of malware. Last summer, a law firm went on total lockdown after being targeted by a cyber attack and needed to keep its employees from logging on to the system. Quick communication is crucial if this happens.
In today’s work culture, it can be hard to get in touch with all of your employees at once. Employees log on remotely, are constantly on the go, and use many different forms of communication. Therefore, you need communication systems that are as flexible as your workplace. During a cyber attack, you can meet your employees where they are: at their desks, in an airport, or even at home. A multi-channel communication strategy can call, text, and email employees immediately to make sure they get the message.
Further, it may be important to get messages out quickly to employees or stakeholders during a cyber threat. Good internal communications software allows you to create templates in advance so you can quickly tell your employees how to take reactive measures during a cyber attack, like logging out of employee systems and powering off their machines. Creating pre-selected groups of employees to segment your messages will avoid confusion and provide clear instructions for your plan of action. Quicker communication means your crisis plan and recovery can begin immediately – getting your business up and running as quickly as possible.
As an internal communications or HR specialist, you should work with your IT team and other experts to create an incident response plan. That way, you are prepared. If you need, you will be able to communicate with your employees quickly, easily, and in just one click!
Pocketstop’s RedFlag mass communication system can help you prepare for internal communications during any crisis, including a cyber attack. Contact us today to set up a demo or discuss whether RedFlag is the solution for you.
