Technology has made life easier for boards. Whether it be through the use of email or online calendars, or video conferencing applications and board portals, technology has become integral to the work and productivity of board members and leaders of organisations.
And while it’s difficult to argue against the benefits that the digital era has brought forth, there are inherent risks that need to be considered. Some of these risks are often overlooked because board members have become accustomed to doing things a certain way over long periods of time. They, along with the rest of the organisation, develop digital habits that can occasionally run counter to what it means to be productive, efficient, and secure in today’s connected environment.
In this article, we highlight 7 good digital habits that board members should practise for better governance success.
1. Back-up your data.
The probability of data loss, whether due to a virus, human error, or hardware or system failure, has never been higher. To offset this risk, it’s important to back-up data regularly.
Back-ups are typically kept/stored in a location that’s not connected to the network. An example of this would be an external hard drive (stored offsite) or a cloud-based back-up service.
The best back-ups are “air-gapped,” meaning that they’re physically isolated and unable to establish external connections. This makes sense because once criminals have access to the network they can just as easily access data backups stored there to cause more damage.
Some ways to back-up data are through external hard drives, cloud-based storage, or dedicated back-up services. Note that these options come with their own set of pros and cons, so it’s important to understand and manage your own unique needs. For instance, saving business data to an external hard drive might not be the best option for remote-only organisations (cloud-based/back-up services might be better).
It’s important, too, to ask the right questions: if cloud services are going to be utilised, look into the privacy controls of the service. Does your data remain yours?
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule
Cybersecurity professionals have recommended following a 3-2-1 methodology for data backups. In simple terms, it suggests:
- Keeping three copies of files—the original and two backups.
- Using two different backup types (e.g., one hard drive and one cloud copy).
- Storing one copy offsite.
2. Strengthen and update your passwords.
It may be a tedious administrative task, but it can’t be stressed enough: do not recycle passwords. Re-using passwords across multiple applications or devices makes it easier to hack the various apps or hardware in your digital ecosystem.
To help with password maintenance, avail of a dedicated password manager. Additionally, it helps to use two-factor authorisation (2FA) or multi-factor authorisation whenever applicable to keep your data secure.
3. Keep your hardware, software, and apps up-to-date.
Companies regularly push down updates to their software to address productivity or security issues, so make sure to update your devices and apps as soon as they’re available. Keep an eye out for updates to your anti-virus software and firewall as well.
Parallel to this, review the applications you use and remove software you don’t use. Eliminate unnecessary threats by digital decluttering.
4. Disable Bluetooth when you don’t need it.
Contrary to popular belief, leaving Bluetooth on on phones, laptops, or smart devices can pose significant security risks such as data theft or loss of control over your own device.
Here are three common vulnerabilities associated with Bluetooth use, as discussed in this article:
- Bluejacking – hackers hijack a Bluetooth-enabled device to send spam messages to that device. While some may shrug this off as an annoyance, it can become dangerous if one of these spam messages contain a malicious link, as in a phishing scam.
- Bluesnarfing – hackers connect to some early Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices without the owner’s knowledge to alter and/or download phone books, calendars, text messages, photos, emails, and more.
- Bluebugging – hackers establish a Bluetooth connection with a phone or laptop to gain backdoor access to the device. With access, they can now spy on your activity, access sensitive information, and impersonate you on any apps in the device.
To prevent these vulnerabilities and hacks, ensure the following:
- Do not accept pair requests from unknown devices
- Do not share sensitive information over Bluetooth
- Make sure you always have the latest system software
- Monitor your data usage (a spike may mean unwanted remote activity)
5. Protect your connection to the Internet.
Consider using a virtual private network or VPN to secure your internet connection and privacy online. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel for your data, protects your online identity by hiding your IP address, and allows you to use public Wi-Fi hotspots safely. Be wary of using just any VPN however. Do your research and avail of those with solid reputations.
6. Avoid opening suspicious emails.
Leaders of organisations are now targets of sophisticated phishing scams. Don’t open suspicious email messages, especially those that contain links or attachments. Other common characteristics of suspicious emails include:
- First time or infrequent senders
- Urgent call-to-action or threat
- Bad grammar
- Generic greetings (“Dear Sir,” etc.)
- Mismatched or misspelled email domains
It’s important to stay vigilant. Email cyber-crimes are prevalent.
7. Protect your time.
Staying connected has redefined boundaries around safeguarding one’s own time. As a leader, it’s easy to be pulled in a thousand different directions and fall into the rabbit hole of emails, app notifications and phone use. To address this, it’s helpful to:
a. Turn off notifications
Notifications can impact productivity insofar as they take up your attention. If you’re working on something important and a notification pops up, this study says that it can take up to 23 minutes to refocus and get back to the task. Productivity can suffer with non-essential, non-urgent notifications.
b. Time-block your calendar
Visionary and strategic work can’t always be done in meetings. Block off time in your calendar for idea-generation, analyses, review, and reflection. Give yourself a moment in the day to regroup.
You may want to also set your smart phone to “Do Not Disturb” during this time. It’s a simple productivity hack to help you focus.
c. Set a schedule for when you read and respond to emails
Similar to clearing time in your calendar, it helps to be more disciplined with email. Establish periods in the day for checking your mail: will it be first thing in the morning, midday, or at the end of the workday? Be aware as well of sending emails outside work hours, as this has its effect on you and, quite likely, the recipient. In short, practice good email etiquette and work boundaries.
Conclusion
These habits can be adopted by any individual, board member or not. As we immerse ourselves in more connected experiences, it serves us well to reflect on our relationship with technology and the habits we’ve formed around it.
Leaders, most especially, need to be more intentional with their digital habits and have the flexibility to unlearn them, especially when the situation or environment calls for it. To tweak and apply the adage, “old ways don’t always open new — or safe — doors.”
Utilising a board portal like Boardlogic can help improve the digital habits of your board. To find out more, schedule a demo with our Product Expert today.
Carissa Duenas