When it comes to cyber security, your vulnerabilities likely differ from those of other businesses. Although security concerns are often unique to the organization they affect, there is at least one weakness that’s shared among all companies, regardless of industry. The one common vulnerability every enterprise has is their employees.
Cyber Security Training for Employees
Cyber security is a top priority for most businesses since a successful cyberattack could spell disaster for even the biggest corporations. In fact, up to 60% of small companies go out of business within six months after experiencing a cyberattack, according to Inc. Investing heavily in cyber security solutions can help you keep your systems protected, but that alone is not enough. As long as your employees can be tricked into giving outsiders access to your network, you can never truly be secure.
The average employee is unaware of what cyber risks their company faces; even less know what to do when they run into a threat. So, the first step to securing your business must involve raising your team’s overall cyber threat awareness. Increasing cyber threat awareness includes learning about security best practices, potential threats, and procedures staff should follow after an attack.
What is Awareness Training?
Cyber criminals know that employees are the easiest way to gain access to a secure network. Since the human factor plays such a crucial role in securing your business, training is needed to keep everyone aware of looming threats. Awareness training involves taking courses on organizational security policies, common threats like malware and phishing, and how your employees factor into the equation.
Your employees are going to be busy with their own tasks throughout the day, so most training is done on an on-demand basis. Team members can take courses whenever they have free time at their disposal. Training is also something that needs to be done repeatedly. To keep the information fresh in everyone’s mind, training should be done annually.
Benefits to Security Training and Threat Awareness
Training is an important process in any business endeavor where knowledge may be lacking. It ensures everyone is on the same page and armed with the skills and knowledge to perform their jobs properly. For cyber security in particular, the biggest benefit of training is having a more secure business.
In addition to improved security, here are a few other benefits you can expect:
- Security-Focused Culture: If you want your workers to take security seriously, it’s important to build a culture that says as much. Regular training communicates how much your company values security.
- Empower Your Workforce: Employees should be able to feel confident in their interactions with data. If they are aware of what phishing or other threats look like, they won’t be second guessing their actions. They know to avoid anything suspicious looking.
- Downtime Prevention: Falling victim to a cyberattack often results in lengthy downtime. An employee who knows how to spot threats can avoid the need for their equipment to be investigated and repaired.
- Increase Adoption: After taking awareness courses, your employees are going to understand how serious cyber risks are. This leads to a greater desire to adopt security practices.
- Stay Compliant: Many industries require businesses to meet certain security regulations. Teaching your staff on how to stay compliant not only helps them avoid violating compliance, but it may also be a part of compliance itself.
Data Security Tips for Employees
Security awareness training is a challenge for most organizations, but it’s a necessary step toward achieving a more secure business. However, the responsibility of security awareness doesn’t fall solely on the company; employees must do their part as well.
Here are a few cyber security tips employees can use to keep themselves secure:
- Practice Proper Browsing: The easiest way for an employee to fall into a cyber criminal’s trap is to browse the web carelessly. Be careful of what websites you visit.
- Beware of Phishing: Phishing attacks are specifically designed to trick you into divulging information. Avoid clicking on links in any suspicious email. Also, look out for spelling errors or incorrect web domains; these are telltale signs of a phishing attack.
- Update Your Software: Operating systems frequently provide new patches to close up identified vulnerabilities. Installing the patch is necessary to get the benefits.
A Customized Security Solution
At Net3 IT, we focus on helping your business accomplish its IT goals. If you want to improve your security measures, our consultants can create a customized managed security solution to meet the needs of your business. With us by your side, you can rest easy knowing your network is secure.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.
