In today’s always-connected world with cyber threats moving faster and more frequently than ever, business leaders need to understand the importance of educating their employees on tactics and prevention to aid in their overall cybersecurity plan. Imagine your employees are a chain. One link breaks, the whole thing falls apart. Employees need guidance and support from those experienced in cybersecurity tactics to understand the seriousness of the situation as well as the knowledge to combat these threats. Security awareness training is a vital initiative that will strengthen your chain and allow your business to push back against threats with a unified front.
Security awareness training is rooted in the concept of cybersecurity education for your employees and should include:
- Information on what the current threat landscape looks like
- Components the company currently leverages to protect the business and employees
- Company policies and procedures to minimize risk
- Tips for employees to limit their vulnerabilities
- Techniques that employees can apply to professional or personal life
There are certainly many layers to cyber defense and countless topics of discussion that fall under that umbrella. The important thing to execute during security awareness training is to present the appropriate topics and explanations while focusing on the components that employees can leverage. Those specific topics could include:
- Phishing and malware – These popular attacks direct the threat to individual levels thus making each employee a target. Employees should be informed on what to look for with these types of attacks and what to do if they think they have found one.
- Safe internet protocols – By teaching how to safely browse the internet, your team can leverage the benefits of this technology without having to sacrifice the security of themselves, their loved ones, or your business.
- Remote access safety – While things are returning to normal in a post-COVID world, remote access is most likely not going away completely. Guiding employees through protocols and procedures for accessing data and programs correctly will enable your team to remain safe.
- Incident or threat reporting – Communicating what to look for with a threat is just as important as informing them of what to do if something actually happens. If they know how to react and who to communicate with, they can drastically reduce further damage from taking place.
While the list of components above should be included in the training, other concepts can be customized based on your unique business. Perhaps your team would find it beneficial to learn about laws and regulations that govern your particular industry. If your business leverages social media platforms, adding in a segment on safeguards within social media might be helpful. Work with the presenter to design the program that best fits your organization.
Why is this all so important?
Security awareness training is an important piece of the cybersecurity strategy that your business needs to ensure all of your assets, team, and data are protected. By educating and providing helpful tools, your employees can be active participants in protecting the business. This type of training can be provided in-person or virtually with quarterly or bi-annual updates to ensure all employees have the latest information and any new hires are included. Take a little bit of time now to educate and secure each link of your chain so that your business can succeed.
Advanticom’s cybersecurity team is here to help with all layers of cybersecurity, including providing security awareness training. Our approach to cybersecurity is to implement solutions that continually improve IT utilization while simultaneously increasing your security posture. By adding a security awareness training initiative, Advanticom can enable your employees to join the fight against cyber threats. Contact us today at ateam@advanticom.com or check out our website at https://advanticom.com/our-expertise/security-managed-services/ for more information.