Cyber Security
Cyber Security
Whether work is carried out on a home (personal) device or Parish-supplied device, it is strongly recommended for the benefit of both the staff member and the parish that:
- the device is fully updated with the most recent security updates
- has fully updated antivirus/antimalware protection enabled
- software packages in-use should also be legally licensed and kept up to date
- ensure that parish files stored on personal devices have a backup plan in-place and that it is reviewed/tested periodically to verify functionality
- if parish files are stored on home or non-parish equipment, that there is a procedure in place for the hand-on and removal of these in the event of staff changes
For parish-owned equipment, as a matter of good information management policy it would be good to consider these protections as mandatory. The Diocese cannot specifically provide these services unless required by Diocesan Council policy, which it is not at this time.
Online or cloud resources/applications
For shared resources such as bank accounts/online applications, have a unique sign-in for each person (i.e., no shared logins) and where possible enable multifactor authentication (MFA).
The Microsoft Nonprofits program
Microsoft have an excellent NFP program which is available to parishes. This includes:
- Office365 enterprise licensing subscription including MS Office applications, Teams, and OneDrive/SharePoint shared file capabilities for up to 10 staff
- Windows professional licensing for up to 10 staff
Engagement of the Office365 platform can provide:
- a very capable set of Office tools for collaboration using email and shared file resources for parish staff
- secure access to parish email/files and licensed MS Office applications for home devices
- a strong level of security for parish files/emails and discussions
- in-built backup functionality to safeguard data
Microsoft NFP resources can be accessed via the 3rd party organisation ConnectingUp.