The canton of Geneva offers an online course to protect corporate data
The Department of Economic Development (DDE) is launching a series of distance self-training courses to help employees of Geneva's SMEs protect themselves against computer piracy. The program, which is freely accessible on the government's website, takes the form of eight interactive videos enabling users to assess their level of knowledge and acquire the right reflexes for responsible digital behavior.
Following on from the data protection awareness seminars organized for Geneva SMEs since 2018, on January 31, 2020, the DDE launched a self-assessment and self-training course on cyber risks. Completely free of charge, these e-learning modules are aimed primarily at employees of companies in the canton.
Thee-learning system was developed on the basis of modules produced in collaboration with public administrations in other French-speaking cantons. Available on the Etat de Genève website, it consists of eight interactive videos, each of which can be viewed independently of the others to explore a specific context in greater depth: e-mail, the Internet, reputation and social networks, mobility, home security and more.
Making the individual a strong link
" The first link in the digital security chain is not the technological tools, but the human factor "emphasizes Pierre Maudet, State Councillor in charge of the DDE. "It is the individual who must first make the right decisions, and not leave his or her judgment to algorithms alone. If companies don't take this reality into account, with the active participation of their entire workforce, they can't protect themselves effectively."
Indeed, from the numerous exchanges between Geneva's SMEs and the Directorate General for Economic Development, Research and Innovation (DG DERI), it is clear that, in the vast majority of cases, a cyber attack involves the voluntary or involuntary collaboration of a person working within the company that has been hacked.
As a result, the number and complexity of cyber-attacks continues to increase worldwide. At present, the cost of a cyber incident - with loss of information at the top of the list - averages between CHF 200,000 and CHF 1.3 million for SMEs. For the largest multinationals, however, it can reach up to 27 million francs.
Reduce your cybercrime premiums
This new distance learning course set up in Geneva could, in time, provide proof of employees' level of knowledge of digital behavior. This could provide companies with objective arguments, particularly when negotiating their cyber-insurance premiums.
" Protecting the private sphere is a lever of confidence and, consequently, of economic growth "concludes Pierre Maudet. " Responsible handling of digital data is a powerful factor for transformation and innovation, as well as an unstoppable selling point. To strengthen the canton's competitiveness, the State has a duty to help SMEs master the challenges of IT security, in particular by encouraging their staff to adopt the right reflexes."
Source: CP Economic Development Department (DDE)
