Cybersecurity awareness in the workplace includes knowing how to handle sensitive information during everyday tasks. Employees need to recognize what requires protection and how their actions can expose it, even while using approved systems.

Once information is visible on a screen or printed page, its security also depends on who can see it and how it is handled. Screen sharing, screenshots, and documents left in shared spaces all deserve attention.

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, make Data in View part of the conversation. Helping employees recognize these risks gives them practical ways to protect information throughout the workday.

Recognize the information in front of you

“Data in View” describes information that people can see on screens or printed documents. It might be a customer’s contact details, an internal pricing discussion, a staff schedule, or an unreleased business plan.

The sensitivity of that information can be easy to overlook when handling it is part of your daily work. A familiar dashboard may feel routine to the person using it, even though its contents would be inappropriate for a visitor or another department to see.

A useful question is: Does everyone who can see this information have a reason and permission to see it?

Being allowed to open a record does not automatically mean it is appropriate to display it during a meeting, photograph it for later, or include it in a message.

Pay attention when the audience changes

Information often becomes exposed when the setting or audience changes while the content stays visible.

Before a video call, prepare the material you need, close unrelated content, and hide notification previews. Share a specific window where possible, and check what participants can actually see. If the discussion requires opening another application, pause sharing while you switch.

The same thing applies around your desk. A screen facing a hallway or visitor area may be readable by people passing through. Position your workspace with this in mind, and lock your device whenever you step away.

Printed documents also deserve the same attention. Collect sensitive printouts promptly, put them away after use, and follow your organization’s secure disposal process. A document left in a meeting room can reach an entirely different audience after the meeting ends.

Treat a screenshot as another copy of the information

Taking a screenshot can feel less significant than sending a document. However, the image may contain sensitive information such as names, account details, internal comments, or other details beyond what you wanted to show.

Before capturing anything, check whether capture is permitted and whether an image is necessary. An approved link with appropriate access permissions may be a better way to help a colleague.

If you need an image, use the approved process to remove unnecessary sensitive details and review the final version before sharing. Confirm the recipient and channel, too.

Photographing a work screen with a personal phone creates similar risks. Depending on the device’s settings, the photo could be backed up to a personal cloud account. A quick reference image can become a copy held outside the organization’s approved systems.

Make awareness something teams can practice

For managers and security teams, October is a useful opportunity to turn this topic into a short exercise.

Use a fictional workspace containing a shared screen, a printed document, and an open chat. Ask colleagues to identify what should be protected and explain what they would do next. Use invented information so the exercise itself creates no exposure.

Discuss the practical difficulties as well. Do employees know how to share information safely when screenshots are restricted? Is there a clear place to ask questions or report a mistake?

If sensitive information is accidentally shown or shared, employees should stop the exposure where possible and promptly follow the internal reporting process. They should not have to decide alone whether the incident is serious enough to mention.

Clear guidance, usable tools, and a supportive response make these habits easier to maintain beyond October. Cybersecurity awareness belongs in the everyday moments when people open, present, capture, and put away information.