Texas A&M psychologist Anthony Klotz dubbed it the Great Resignation. Others are calling it the Great Reshuffle. Whatever it’s called, this phenomenon of millions resigning from their jobs (4.5 million in the US in November 2021 alone) and over 40 per cent of workers worldwide thinking about quitting their current position is a clear and present danger to organizations keen to remain stable at a time of great instability.
Participate in: “Cyber Risk of the Great Reshuffle”
“The implications of a mass exodus, which some in the media are calling a ‘turnover tsunami,’ are potentially staggering,” said ITWC CIO Jim Love. “But there’s another much more serious challenge rising up around data security.”
Data loss, said Love, is a risk to a company even when one person leaves – let alone a dozen. One problem, he said, is that many people will take data with them to use in their new job. “At the point that that happens, it doesn’t even matter whether it was malicious or accidental. The consequences of it happening at all can be potentially devastating.”
There is also a possible security risk around new employees.
“This is the flip side of the coin, where you have people coming in who are coming in ‘cold’ and thus unfamiliar with the company’s security policies and processes,” said Love. “All told, what you have is an enormous insider threat facing organizations.”
Perhaps you’re facing a loss of talent. If so, it’s understandable that you would be focusing on acquiring and retaining talent as you are thinking about the future. But data security should be top of mind, especially at a time when, on top of the comings and goings of staff, you have staff using countless devices in a hybrid office.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, June 21st, Microsoft Cyber Security Advisor Joseph Davis will be looking at the insider threats companies are now facing. In Cyber Risk of the Great Reshuffle, you will come away with practical insights on the people and processes essential to the tight and efficient management of insider threats, and how to better (and more swiftly) identify and act on these threats.
