Protecting your company online begins with ensuring your employees are prepared to assist in keeping your computers and networks safe. Simply put, the best security technology in the world can't help you unless employees understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding sensitive data and protecting company resources.

Let your employees know their responsibilities, beginning with how they handle potentially sensitive information. Employees should know what they can and can't take home (company laptops, etc.), what they can and can't do with company resources, and what role, if any, they have in backing up data and using security technology.

Among other things, employees should be advised about:

Keeping good password practices. Choosing complex passwords, changing them routinely and keeping them private are among the easiest and most effective steps your employees can take to protect your data.

Emailing safely. Employees should know not to open messages or attachments from unknown sources. Employees should also be instructed about your company's spam filters and how to use them to prevent unwanted, harmful email.

Backing up their work. Whether you set your employees' computers to backup automatically or ask that they do it themselves, employees should be instructed on their role in protecting their work.

Keeping computers clean. Your company should have clear rules for what employees can install and keep on their work computers. Make sure they understand and abide by these rules. Unknown outside programs can open security vulnerabilities in your network.

Staying watchful and speaking up. Your employees should be encouraged to keep an eye out and say something if they notice strange happenings on their computer