Health care providers had arough start this year. Hackers have already attacked multiplehospitals, forcing them to pay a ransom to get their files back,including patient records and billing information.

While this is harrowing news, the truth is, most of the timethese breaches can be prevented simply with education and training.In fact, human error is responsible for 52 percent of securitybreaches.

Related: Cyberattacks: The next health careepidemic

Your clients, who are usually human resources professionals,stand as one of the primary lines of defense against these attacks,as they manage sensitive information that hackers want.

It's no secret that as a benefits broker, your job now includeshuman resources, and cybersecurity issues are no longer just forproperty and casualty brokers.

Corporate email, unmanaged devices, and social media accountsare all vulnerable to attacks. These attacks most often comethrough infected email that carries malware, ransomware, and otherviruses, all of which are programs created to damage or disableyour devices.

Often these emails appear to be harmless, and they can even becreated to look as if they are from a member of your company.

Related: Health care took top spot in cyberattacks in2015

If unchecked, these security risks will only continue toincrease. So how can you help your clients mitigate these risks andprotect their sensitive information? Here are four ways you canhelp your clients create a safer and more secure environment:

Stay current on the trends

Your clients rely on you to be a trusted advisor. One way youcan do this is to keep an eye on the current cybersecurity trendshappening across different industries. Subscribe to cybersecuritypublications like Dark Reading and SC Magazine tosee if there are any threats that might affect your clients, likethe ransomware attacks. Inform your clients if there are anythreats they should be aware of and include cybersecurity tips andtrends in your regular communications.

Educate your clients

Provide educational resources and programs that will teach yourclients how to spot potential threats, especially since they dealwith sensitive information. On top of that, stress the importanceof connecting with their information security provider to learn howhackers may try to access HR systems. Many security providers willalso offer training, not only for the IT department, but also foremployees company-wide.

Offer a webinar

When it comes to creating a security strategy, your clientsoften won't know where to start. One way you can give them acomprehensive overview is to offer a webinar on cybersecurity bestpractices for small businesses. Walk your clients through the bestpractices, threats and trends they should be aware of. Thistraining will help your clients to better protect their company andits sensitive data.

Create a mobile device action plan

Mobile devices can be difficult to manage, and because of this,they can create serious security and management hurdles, especiallyif they hold confidential information or if the devices can accessthe corporate network outside of the office. To mitigate this risk,create a mobile device action plan that you can share with yourclients. This plan should include requiring that employees passwordprotect their mobile devices and install security apps like Avastor Bitdefender. Also, be sure it includes recommended reportingprocedures in case any mobile devices are stolen or lost.

The world of cyberattacks and cybersecurity is constantlychanging, and there is no one guaranteed way of ensuring yourclients will never get targeted. However, by educating them andkeeping up to date on the latest in security practices, you canhelp keep your clients' sensitive information safe and secure. Andanything you can do to make HR professionals more productive andsuccessful will further embed you as their trusted advisor.