What is cyber security awareness training?

Cyber security awareness training is ongoing education that provides employees relevant information and tests of their cyber-awareness by covering all aspects of data security and regulatory compliance. It is a proven way of changing risky employee IT behaviors that can lead to security compromises—including financial, intellectual property, customer trust and other major data losses—and increases businesses’ resilience against attacks.

These may include how to avoid phishing and other types of social engineering cyberattacks, spot potential malware behaviors, report possible security threats, follow company IT policies and best practices, and adhere to any applicable data privacy and compliance regulations (GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, etc.)

Cyber Security Awareness Training

What are the benefits to having cybersecurity-aware employees?
  • Training your employees and yourself on cybersecurity-related safety and best practices will create a sense of empowerment, not only in the office, but remotely. You can rest assured that your workforce will be confident in the decisions they make when creating new passwords, filtering through suspicious emails or browsing the internet.Cybersecurity awareness training will immediately increase your employees’ awareness levels and give them the practical skills needed to better protect your business from the dangers of data breaches, network attacks and ransomware threats.

Why businesses need cyber security awareness training
Although businesses may feel their employees wouldn’t be fooled by something like a phishing scam, cybercriminals still use this attack method because it continues to be successful. In fact, the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations report revealed that 93% of successful security breaches start with phishing.With regular training for employees that includes phishing simulations, courses on IT and security best practices, and data protection and compliance training, businesses can significantly reduce risk, decrease infections and related help desk costs, protect their reputation by experiencing fewer breaches, and secure their overall cybersecurity investment.