“We are living in a ‘Brave New World’ when it comes to technology.”
Computing has changed dramatically over the last 20 years and technology continues to transform how HR departments contact employees, store files, and analyze employee performance.
“We are living in a brave new world when it comes to technology,” according to Jenny Hayes, a UCSC Silicon Valley Extension instructor in the HR Management certificate program. Hayes will talk more on the the subject of cybersecurity in the workplace as one of the key presenters at the HR TechXpo in San Francisco Aug 28.
Tech to minimize problems
“When used properly technology makes HR practices more efficient,” she says. “When used poorly, it can get in the way of HR operations. Good HR practices maximize the benefits and minimize the problems.”
In her talk at the HR TechXpo, Cyber Security: What HR Professionals Need to Know, Hayes will be highlighting tips and best practices to protect and educate the staff in any organization. One example is a phishing simulation exercise recently launched by University of California, Santa Cruz.
Raising awareness through fake phishing
The few people who actually clicked on the suspicious links were taken to an education site on cybersecurity while those who properly reported the scam were entered into a drawing for a prize.
“It’s just to bring awareness,” said Dave Van Unen, head of IT at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension. “Users need to beware. A lot of the old ways of malicious attempts to gain access to computers are still prevalent, but the most serious are the social engineered types.”
In those cases, someone’s email account is hacked and all of their contacts become targets. An email might go out with “Hi, how are you” or “I thought you might be interested in this” in the subject line. The real object is to get them to click on a bad link.
Upcoming HR cybersecurity course
Hayes will be talking about these kinds of tips and best practices to protect and educate staff at the conference as well as in her upcoming course HR Technology—What you need to know to be a Technology Proponent. The five-week, evening course starts Sept. 14, 2018.
“I am going to talk about this and many other tips and best practices to protect and educate our staff,” Hayes said. “It’s imperative that companies work harder to train their employees to protect themselves against the dangers that exist in our technology-driven society. The more we educate ourselves, the less likely we can be vulnerable professionally and personally.”