The biggest vulnerability in your cybersecurity strategy isn’t hidden in your infrastructure, it’s sitting at a desk (or working from home). Cybercriminals are no longer just targeting the IT infrastructure; they’re going straight for employees.
From cleverly crafted phishing emails to deepfake impersonations, attackers are bypassing firewalls by exploiting human nature – and it’s working. A single click from a distracted employee can unravel years of investment in traditional cyber defences. That’s why building a truly resilient organisation starts with a people-first approach.
A structured workforce security assessment is the practical starting point. It helps you pinpoint the weak spots in your human firewall, highlight risky behaviours, and take action before minor threats become major breaches. It’s a practical way to strengthen your security posture while aligning with frameworks like the ASD Essential Eight – a baseline strategy recommended by the Australian Signals Directorate to protect against common cyber threats.
This article walks through how our five-step workforce security assessment framework delivers measurable outcomes across endpoint protection, identity and access management (IAM), email security, and beyond, with one goal in mind: building your organisation’s cyber resilience from the inside out.
Why your organisation needs a workforce security assessment
A workforce security posture assessment gives you a clear picture of how well your team understands, detects, and responds to cyber threats, and where they need support.
Here’s why it matters:
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Improve your cyber hygiene
Even the best technology won’t protect you if your people are working around it. A workforce security assessment uncovers everyday habits that put your organisation at risk, like password reuse, unsafe browsing, or poor data handling. Once you know where the cracks are, you can close them with tailored policies, training, and tools.
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Enhance your threat detection
Spotting a phishing attempt isn’t always as easy as it sounds, especially when attackers are using social engineering, personalisation, and deepfake tools to slip through the cracks. A well-executed assessment highlights who’s able to detect suspicious activity and who might be falling for realistic scams, so you can act before attackers do.
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Strengthen compliance posture
With tightening regulations across industries, from financial services to healthcare – demonstrating due diligence in workforce cyber awareness isn’t just best practice, it’s essential. A structured security assessment provides documentation and metrics that help you prove compliance, both internally and to regulators.
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Reduce business risk
From ransomware to credential theft, human error remains one of the biggest contributors to data breaches. But when you proactively assess and improve workforce behaviour, you significantly reduce your organisation’s attack surface. That means fewer incidents, lower costs, and less disruption to your operations.
What we assess – and why it matters
Workforce security assessments aren’t new, but the way they’re delivered and how effective they are varies widely. Some skim the surface, others focus purely on compliance checklists. And a few, like ours, go deeper to help security, risk and compliance leaders understand how people, process and tech intersect in the real world.
At The Missing Link, we’ve developed a workforce security assessment framework that goes beyond one-size-fits-all templates.
Here’s what we cover, and why each area matters.
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR):
Are devices protected from malware, data loss, and unauthorised access? This supports application control and operating system patching – two core pillars of the Essential Eight. Our partnerships with industry leaders like CrowdStrike help us benchmark against some of the most advanced EDR capabilities on the market.
- Cloud Security:
Is access to cloud tools like Microsoft 365 and Teams secure and compliant? Solutions like Netskope help organisations monitor and protect data across cloud applications with full visibility and real-time controls.
- Web Security:
Are browser-based threats, unsafe downloads, and malicious sites blocked? We analyse how well your systems protect users from these common gateways for phishing and ransomware.
- Identity & Access Management (IAM):
Is multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforced? Are controls aligned with zero trust principles and least privilege access? Tools such as Okta support this by providing strong identity management and access control that scales across modern hybrid environments.
- Email Security:
Are you blocking phishing, spam, and business email compromise (BEC) effectively? With the help of solutions like Proofpoint, we assess how well your systems are protecting users from increasingly targeted phishing attempts and social engineering tactics.
Together, these areas form the core of a modern cyber defence strategy. Reviewing them in isolation doesn’t work – we help you assess your security posture holistically and prioritise where to act.
Practical steps to improve your workforce security
Once you know where the gaps are, the next step is simple: take action. These aren’t high-level strategies, they’re practical, proven moves that make a real difference to your organisation’s cyber resilience.
1. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR):Ensure all employee devices – laptops, mobiles, and tablets – are protected by advanced EDR solutions with automatic threat detection and isolation.
- Keep software and operating systems patched and up to date.
- Enforce secure device configurations from day one.
2. Cloud Security:
Review access policies for cloud apps like Microsoft 365 and Teams.- Enable conditional access to block high-risk sign-ins.
- Run regular reviews to ensure users only have the permissions they need.
3. Web Security:
- Minimise browser-based risks with smart filtering.
- Block high-risk or non-business-related sites.
- Use web proxies and DNS filtering to stop threats before they land.
4. Identity & Access Management (IAM):
- Your IAM setup is your first line of defence and it needs to be airtight.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all users and apps – a critical Essential Eight control.
- Implement identity-based networking and segment access across devices and systems.
5. Email Security:
- Phishing is still the most common way in. Don't give it a chance.
- Use advanced threat protection to scan attachments and links in real time.
- Run simulated phishing campaigns and conduct ongoing security awareness training – a must for building the human firewall.
The right controls don’t just protect, they empower you to act confidently and securely. Small steps add up fast, especially when they’re part of a coordinated workforce security strategy.
Secure your workforce, strengthen your organisation
Cyber resilience doesn’t start with firewalls or software, it starts with people. A professional workforce security assessment helps you understand how secure your team truly is, where the risks lie, and what steps to take to improve.
Ready to take action? Book your free security posture assessment today and get clear, expert-led insights on where you stand, and how to build a more secure, resilient future.
Complete your free assessment now
