A large part of our professional and personal lives take place online, currently to such an extent that it is difficult for us to imagine what it would be like in the absence of the internet and everything it offers us. In this context, the main question is: how can you protect your online presence?
We present to you the practical measures for digital hygiene and security suggested for you and your organization by the experts. All the educational resources were developed in the Erasmus + Project „Good Digital Hygiene for Startups – Good Start” (no. 2022-1-LV01-KA220-VET-000086725).
Let’s find out how you can protect your online presence!
A large part of our professional and personal lives take place online, currently to such an extent that it is difficult for us to imagine what it would be like in the absence of the internet and everything it offers us.
We use the internet to:
- connect with friends and family through various tools or social media;
- work remotely, access information necessary to conduct our business, or conduct our business in the cloud;
- buy or sell various things and services online;
- access online sources of entertainment from audio or video streaming platforms to games or other means of online entertainment;
- store information or documents;
- and many other ways in which our lives are related to the online environment.
As we can see, the Internet brings numerous benefits and increases our comfort.
Unfortunately, the Internet is also accompanied by a multitude of threats, which can have negative, smaller, or sometimes devastating consequences.
A single security breach can ruin years of work and effort in building a brand, for example.
What can you do to avoid this?
Digital hygiene is the key to protecting your organization and reputation in the digital age.
To support all those who need solutions to protect their online presence, we have developed a series of useful resources within the Good Start project. These educational resources are intended to help organizations, in particular startups and vocational education and training institutions/vocational training (VET) providers, to train in digital hygiene. Find out what these resources contain and how you can access them below.
Information – a valuable resource that must be protected
In the current economic context, organizations, regardless of their size or object of activity, face a multitude of challenges that influence not only their long-term development but also their support for their daily activity.
The attention is most often focused on financial aspects that ensure the proper functioning of the organization and less or even not at all on a type of threat that can endanger one of the most important resources of organizations: information.
In an increasingly digitized world, where information resources are mostly stored in digital format, protecting against cyberattacks must become a major concern for all members of an organization. An organization’s work procedures should also include well-defined rules of hygiene and digital security so that its ecosystem ensures its proper functioning and sustainability on all levels.
What is digital hygiene?
Digital hygiene is a set of rules and best practices to help individuals keep their activity safe in the digital environment. As with physical hygiene, prevention, maintenance, and remedial measures are essential for good digital hygiene.
The importance of digital hygiene
Our daily activities, whether we refer to our professional or personal lives, are more and more based on digital tools. Many activities or transactions have been moved online, which also brings with it a significant increase in the associated cyber risks.
The number and complexity of types of cyberattacks are growing rapidly, in proportion to the volume of activities carried out online. In this context, practicing good digital hygiene, at the individual and organizational levels, is essential to avoid or limit the consequences of cyberattacks.
We must be aware that a simple click on an insecure link can have significant consequences on the functioning of a company or an individual level. The most vulnerable component of an organization is humans and that is why prevention through the creation and implementation of a solid digital hygiene policy, together with the development of the digital skills of the organization’s members can significantly contribute to mitigating and stopping possible threats in time.
The principles of digital hygiene must be internalized and implemented in the daily routine. Also, digital hygiene is a dynamic concept, significantly influenced by the constantly evolving types of threats. As a result, policies and procedures must be constantly updated.
Resources created in the Good Start project
The Good Start project is an Erasmus+ project (no. 2022-1-LV01-KA220-VET-000086725) in which teams from six European countries participate to create resources on Digital Hygiene. Please find out more about the project on its website.
The project created: the questionnaire Behavioral Index on Digital Hygiene in Organizations and personalized handbooks dedicated to startups and VET institutions.
With the Digital Hygiene Behavioural Index, you can assess your level of digital hygiene knowledge and practices to protect yourself online.
From the Handbook dedicated to startups and VET institutions, you will find solutions and examples of good practices that you can adapt individually or in your organization to prevent the many cyber dangers you may face. The educational resources are free of charge on the project website for all interested in developing and implementing functional digital hygiene rules in their organizations.