Rae Evans
8th February 2022
Today is Safer Internet Day, an annual global initiative dedicated to creating a safer internet for all and inspiring a national conversation about the digital world.
Being a supporter of Safer Internet Day 2022 highlights our continuing commitment to making the digital world a safer place for everyone – every moment of every day. Transition Partners takes our employees, clients, and candidates’ online safety from managing data within our organisation, being cyber resilient and guiding our employees to be cyber aware.
Mainly for myself, working within social media, it’s my responsibility to ensure our business accounts are Safe, secure and prosperous.
Since its inception in 1996, social media has managed to infiltrate half of the 7.7 billion people globally. Social network platforms almost tripled their total user base in the last decade, from 970 million in 2010 to the number passing 4.48 billion users in July 2021.
The explosion of social media has created new risk areas for organisations, which many don’t understand and don’t know how to remediate.
Social media platforms are built to allow users and brands to share as much information about themselves as they want. This is where many users fall foul to hackers and phishing attackers. The level of implied trust that these tools carry with them provides a potential pitfall for any organisation.
The whole concept of Safer Internet Day is important to understand. Ultimately, like so many other solutions, the internet wasn’t designed with security in mind. It was created to connect trusted sources before it grew into what we know now.
40% of all internet users worldwide use social media for work purposes. With this in mind, I think the most effective approach to using such a critical element of our society is planning, fostering awareness and knowing what to do during an incident before it happens.
- My top 5 tips to remember when managing your organisation’s social media accounts:
- Choose a strong password, which typically includes numbers and symbols
- Frequently change your password. Make sure you don’t forget it!
- Use two-factor authentication
- If you’re working in a coffee shop, Be wary of public wireless connections
- Never share any sensitive or private information on your accounts
Social platforms can help you connect with your clients, engage your network, increase awareness about your brand, and boost your leads and sales; they are significant to companies overall vision and long-term sales strategy. It is paramount they stay protected.
Enabling a safe and secure online experience for all is a critical step towards powering a thriving digital economy. We each have a role to play in driving positive change.