Your newest team member starts Monday. You have their desk ready and their welcome packet prepared. But have you thought about what happens when they log into your systems for the first time? Most Burnaby business owners overlook this critical moment, and cybercriminals are counting on it. That is why a new employee IT security checklist for Burnaby businesses is no longer optional.
It is the difference between a smooth onboarding experience and becoming another breach statistic.
According to the 2024 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 68% of all breaches involve a non-malicious human element. That means someone making a mistake or falling for a social engineering attack. New employees represent one of the highest risk windows in your entire security posture. They do not know your systems, they are eager to please, and they often have freshly minted credentials that hackers would love to compromise.
Why New Employee Onboarding Is a Prime Target for Cybercriminals
The first 90 days of employment are a golden opportunity for attackers. New hires are unfamiliar with company protocols, unsure about what constitutes a legitimate request, and less likely to question suspicious communications. They want to make a good impression, which makes them perfect targets for social engineering attacks.
The 2024 Cybersecurity Insiders report reveals that 83% of organizations experienced at least one insider attack in the past year. Even more alarming, 48% of organizations reported that insider attacks have become more frequent over the past 12 months. These are not just disgruntled employees stealing data. Many incidents stem from well-meaning new hires who simply did not know any better.
The Fraser Valley Vulnerability
Small and medium-sized businesses across Burnaby, Surrey, and the broader Fraser Valley face unique challenges. According to research cited by multiple security firms, companies with fewer than 100 employees receive 350% more targeted threats than larger enterprises. Why? Because attackers know that smaller organizations often lack dedicated security teams and formal onboarding protocols.
The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024 found that stolen or compromised credentials were the most common initial attack vector at 16% of all breaches. These credential-based attacks took an average of 292 days to identify and contain. That is nearly 10 months of an attacker moving through your systems undetected.
The Day One Security Framework
Getting security right from the very first day sets the tone for your new employee’s entire tenure. A proper new employee IT security checklist for Burnaby businesses should begin before the new hire even walks through the door.
Pre-Arrival Preparation
Your IT team or managed service provider should complete several critical tasks before your new employee arrives. This prevents the common scenario where a new hire sits idle while waiting for system access, or worse, borrows credentials from a coworker.
The following pre-arrival security tasks are essential:
- Create unique user accounts with role-appropriate permissions following the principle of least privilege
- Configure multi-factor authentication on all accounts before the first login attempt
- Prepare company-managed devices with current security patches and endpoint protection
- Set up email filtering rules and security protocols on the new account
- Document all credentials securely and prepare for proper handoff
These steps ensure that when your new employee arrives, they can work productively within a secure environment from minute one.
First Day Identity Verification
Before handing over any credentials or access, verify that the person in front of you is actually who they claim to be. This might sound paranoid, but social engineering attacks have become remarkably sophisticated. An attacker who has researched your company could potentially show up claiming to be a new hire.
Cross-reference the individual with HR records. Confirm their identity using government-issued identification. Document this verification process. These simple steps protect your organization from impersonation attacks that could grant a criminal direct access to your systems.
Access Control: The Foundation of New Employee Security
The principle of least privilege should guide every access decision for new employees. This means providing only the minimum access required to perform their job functions.
Role-Based Access Configuration
Microsoft research indicates that organizations enabling multi-factor authentication can prevent 99% of automated account compromise attacks. Yet many small businesses have not fully implemented MFA across their systems. This gap represents a massive vulnerability, especially during onboarding when new credentials are being created.
For a new employee IT security checklist for Burnaby businesses to be effective, it must include careful consideration of what each role actually requires. A marketing coordinator does not need access to financial systems. An accountant does not need administrative access to your CRM.
The Access Request Process
Establish a formal process for requesting additional access. New employees should understand that access expansion requires approval, documentation, and periodic review. This creates an audit trail and prevents the gradual accumulation of unnecessary permissions over time.
When configuring access for new hires, consider these critical areas:
- Email and calendar systems with appropriate distribution list memberships
- File storage and collaboration platforms with folder-level permissions
- Line of business applications required for their specific role
- Remote access tools with geographic and time-based restrictions
- Communication platforms including messaging and video conferencing
Password and Authentication Protocols
The first password a new employee creates sets the stage for their security habits throughout their employment. Make this moment count by establishing clear expectations and providing the right tools.
Strong Password Requirements
Enforce password policies that meet current security standards. This means a minimum of 16 characters, a mix of character types, and no dictionary words or easily guessable patterns. More importantly, require the use of a password manager. Expecting employees to memorize dozens of complex passwords leads to password reuse, which is one of the most common causes of credential compromise.
The Verizon 2024 report confirms that credential theft remains the primary method attackers use to breach organizations. By establishing strong password hygiene from day one, you significantly reduce this risk.
Multi-Factor Authentication Training
Do not just enable MFA. Teach new employees why it matters and how to use it properly. Explain the different types of authentication factors and why hardware tokens or authenticator apps are preferred over SMS-based codes. Make sure they understand that MFA requests they did not initiate should be immediately reported.
Attackers have developed sophisticated techniques to bypass MFA, including fatigue attacks where they spam authentication requests hoping the user will approve one just to make them stop. Training helps new employees recognize and resist these tactics.
Device Security and Acceptable Use
Every device your new employee uses to access company resources represents a potential entry point for attackers. Establishing clear device policies during onboarding prevents confusion and security gaps later.
Whenever possible, provide company-managed devices with pre-configured security controls. This ensures consistent endpoint protection, patch management, and monitoring capabilities across your organization. The IBM 2024 report found that 40% of breaches involved data stored across multiple environments, highlighting the risks of inconsistent security controls.
For a thorough new employee IT security checklist for Burnaby businesses, device configuration should include:
- Full disk encryption enabled and verified
- Automatic screen lock after a period of inactivity
- Current operating system with automatic updates enabled
- Enterprise endpoint protection software installed and active
- Remote wipe capabilities configured for lost or stolen devices
If your organization allows personal devices for work purposes, establish clear boundaries during onboarding. Define exactly what business activities can occur on personal devices and what security requirements those devices must meet. Consider implementing mobile device management solutions that can create secure containers for business data without requiring full control of personal devices.
Security Awareness Training
Technical controls only work when combined with informed users. Security awareness training should be a mandatory part of every new employee’s first week, not something that gets pushed off indefinitely.
Phishing Recognition
Phishing remains one of the most effective attack vectors, accounting for 15% of breaches according to the IBM 2024 data. New employees are particularly vulnerable because they are still learning what legitimate internal communications look like.
Train new hires to recognize these common phishing warning signs:
- Urgent requests for sensitive information or immediate action
- Sender email addresses that look similar but slightly different from legitimate ones
- Links that do not match the displayed text when hovering
- Unexpected attachments from unknown or unverified senders
- Poor grammar or formatting inconsistent with official company communications
Create a culture where questioning unexpected requests is encouraged rather than punished.
Data Handling Protocols
Every industry has different data sensitivity requirements, but all new employees need to understand how to properly handle the information they will access. This includes understanding classification levels, knowing which data can leave the organization, and recognizing what constitutes sensitive information in your specific context.
For Greater Vancouver businesses handling customer data, this training should cover Canadian privacy requirements under PIPEDA and any industry-specific regulations that apply to your operations.
Ongoing Monitoring and Review
Onboarding security does not end after the first week. Continuous monitoring and periodic reviews ensure that security measures remain effective and evolve with changing roles and responsibilities.
Schedule security reviews at 30, 60, and 90 days after a new hire starts. These reviews should examine whether access levels remain appropriate, whether any security incidents have occurred, and whether additional training might be beneficial. This cadence aligns with typical probationary periods and ensures security stays on the radar during the critical early months.
User and entity behavior analytics tools can establish baseline patterns for new employees and alert security teams when unusual activity occurs. This is not about spying on employees. It is about detecting compromised accounts quickly. The 2024 Cybersecurity Insiders report notes that organizations using behavior analytics detect insider threats significantly faster than those relying on traditional monitoring alone.
Building a Security-First Culture from Day One
The way you handle security during onboarding sends a powerful message about your organization’s priorities. When new employees see that security is taken seriously from their first interaction with your systems, they are more likely to maintain good habits throughout their tenure.
Make security a natural part of your onboarding conversation, not an afterthought or a stack of paperwork to be signed and forgotten. Explain why these measures exist and how they protect both the organization and the employee. People follow policies more consistently when they understand the reasoning behind them.
Partner with Experts for Comprehensive Protection
Creating and maintaining a comprehensive new employee IT security checklist for Burnaby businesses requires expertise that many small and medium-sized organizations lack internally. Working with a managed IT services provider ensures that your onboarding security protocols reflect current best practices and adapt to emerging threats.
Coleman Technologies delivers 24/7 IT support with multi-layered security built into every service. From configuring new employee accounts with proper access controls to providing ongoing security awareness training, we handle the technical details so you can focus on welcoming your new team members.
The cybercriminals are not waiting. Every day you operate without proper onboarding security protocols is another day of unnecessary risk. Contact Coleman Technologies today to schedule a consultation and discover how we can help protect your Burnaby business from the threats that target vulnerable moments like new employee onboarding.
Sources:
- Verizon. “2024 Data Breach Investigations Report.” Verizon Business, 2024.
- IBM Security. “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024.” IBM and Ponemon Institute, 2024.
- Cybersecurity Insiders. “2024 Insider Threat Report.” Cybersecurity Insiders, 2024.
- Microsoft. “Security at Your Organization: Multifactor Authentication Statistics.” Microsoft Partner Center, 2024.
- National Cybersecurity Alliance and CISA. “What is Multifactor Authentication and Why Should You Use It?” StaySafeOnline.org, 2024.
- StrongDM. “Small Business Cybersecurity Statistics for 2025.” StrongDM, 2024.
