The impact of COVID-19 has seen many organisations adapting to the flexibility of working from home and the workplace. This brings new challenges, including the safety and security of staff, data and organisational compliance when it comes to remote online working. In this guest blog for Cyber Scotland Week, Scott Tees stresses the importance of cyber security and how the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) can help workplaces stay safe online.
Many people think human error creates the greatest online risk or threat. This is not the case. The lack of investment in time, training and including staff as part of an organisation’s online security strategy is arguably the greatest risk. Human errors are merely the result. It’s important that awareness raising and staff training become commonplace within an organisation’s online secure culture. Tick box training will only cover over the cracks.
What is cyber security and how can the SSSC help?
When we speak about cyber security, most people think of the IT department and all things technical. However, online safety and security impacts everyone, so, prevention should involve everyone, in all parts of an organisation.
Most social service workers, either now or in the future, will have access to digital devices as part of your job. We are committed to helping keep the social service workforce safe and secure online.
We have a new Cyber Resilience Coordinator, Scott Tees, who will create a point of contact and provide continuity between us, the public, private and third sector online safety and security activities. He will engage with the workforce to understand the hurdles you face and work with you to overcome these. His work will be in line with the SSSC Strategic Plan 2020-2023 and supports the commitments we’ve made to help organisations and individuals work to the SSSC Codes of Practice while online.
Our work
We will help workers by using easy to understand language that helps them become more aware, confident and involved in keeping themselves, people who use services and carers safe and secure online.
We are members of The CyberScotland Partnership, which is a collaboration of key strategic stakeholders, brought together to focus efforts on improving cyber resilience across Scotland in a coordinated and coherent way.
As members of the CyberScotland Partnership, we will contribute on behalf of the social service workforce and share information, updates and advice to help keep you safe and secure online. This includes advice from national partners, such as the National Cyber Security Centre and the six actions they recommend to improve your cyber security.
This article highlights just how easily we can all be caught out and how your personal information and finances or that of the people you support can be stolen.
SSSC are running online workshops as part of Cyber Scotland Week – find out more.
About our blogger
Scott Tees is Cyber Resilience Engagement Coordinator at the Development & Innovation Directorate (Scottish Social Services Council). Listen to him discuss his role and online security in this podcast.
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