The Benefits of Security Education and Awareness Training

Now more than ever cyber awareness training is essential for your business

Is security education and awareness training at the top of your to-do list for staff this year? It should be. That's because cybercriminals and hackers are at the top of their game, designing schemes more sophisticated and calculating than ever before and virtually all of them require employee interaction in order to work. In today's volatile IT security scene, it's essential that every business take security education and awareness training seriously.

What is security education and awareness training?

Cybersecurity education comes in various flavors, including, most-commonly, online and in-person training. This training is designed to train about current threats that employees might encounter online, how to identify them, and the appropriate action(s) they should take upon encountering one of these threats. In most cases, this training is done on a regular, ongoing basis and often includes some form of testing to ensure the employees have been paying attention. This training may also be tied to ongoing phishing campaigns that simulate real attacks to your employees and test who handles them correctly.

Your customers need someone they can trust

Data breaches are in the news daily. Ransomware? Terrifying. And, don't even get us started on email hijacking. There is so much for organizations to be scared of when it comes to cyber security these days. Many organization large and small put cyber security awareness training on the back burner; the problem is those who do often are the ones who get burned. But when your organization commits to comprehensive security education and awareness training, you are taking security a major step past just investing in the right technology.

It's essential for regulatory compliance

For most industries, regulatory compliance is now a requirement for your employees, whether you realize it or not. Increasingly, laws require that workers in specific types of organizations undergo security awareness training on a regular basis. This is well known to be true for financial institutions such as banks and health care organizations. But many other organizations fall under lesser known regulations requiring effective cybersecurity. And, even if your organization isn't currently subject to these regulations, there's a good chance it may be in the future.

It provides defense against breaches

When it comes to cyber security awareness, all too many of us stick our heads in the sand, thinking what we don't know can't hurt us. But we cannot defend ourselves against something we're not educated about. Being aware of threats to your network security and data will help provide your employees with the knowledge to protect themselves, your customers and your business.

You'll create a culture of security awareness

For good or bad, technology continues to evolve as do the schemes that hackers employ. By showing that your organization is committed to ongoing security education and awareness training, you're fostering a culture of cybersecurity in your company. In the long run, as breaches, ransomware, email hijacking and more threaten the very survival of so many organization, you will be more likely to remain safe. And that's priceless.