The threat of cyber attacks is real and growing. Businesses are at risk, primarily online, so employers need to provide adequate training in cybersecurity to protect their businesses.
One of the best ways for them to learn about cybersecurity is through hands-on training, testing, and exercises that simulate real-life cyber attacks.
In the world of technology, cybersecurity should be the top priority for employers since it deals with protecting networks against cyberattacks—and that’s a primary concern.
Purplesec reports that the number of data breaches in the United States was 1,473, with over 164.68 million sensitive records exposed in 2019.
Thus, businesses should train their employees on cybersecurity to protect their brand, technology, clients’ personal information, and data.
There are several reasons for this, and I’ll go into more detail about why below, but the point is you must take this cybersecurity training seriously.
What is Cybersecurity Training?
Cybersecurity training teaches employees how to identify attacks and prevent security breaches in the workplace. It helps employees protect company data against theft, unauthorized access, malware, and other cyber threats.
Employees need the proper knowledge and experience to protect data from cybercriminals and other malicious actions. The idea is simple – when employees know the types of threats they face, they’re less likely to become victims.
When employees are better prepared for cyber threats or attacks, your business is less likely to fall victim to attacks.
Why is Cybersecurity Training Important for All Employees?
1. The cyber-world is changing all the time
The cyber world is changing because of new vulnerabilities in software and new threats to your company.
Consequently, it can make managing cybersecurity on your own a difficult task. If your employees are not aware of these changes, they are more likely to be victims of a cyber-attack.
And with many companies using BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), this leaves the door open to other devices becoming infected by malware or viruses brought in from home connections.
2. Training is the key to preparing for a cyber emergency
Not all employees need cybersecurity training, but most employees should be prepared to respond to a cyber-attack or data breach as a general best practice.
The benefits of proactive employee training are numerous and include:
- preparing for and managing an incident
- reducing liability for the company
- increasing employee confidence during an incident
- educating employees on what constitutes a cyber emergency
Training is the key to preparing for a cyber emergency.
The more you know about cybersecurity, and the more you understand the potential threats your company faces, the better you’ll be able to recognize and respond to a cyber emergency.
All of your employees need to have at least basic cybersecurity training.
3. Make sure your company meets its legal obligations
All employees should be trained in cybersecurity. This is not only because they can play a big part in protecting their company, but also because they need to know that they are not ever allowed to cause damage or hurt other users. In recent years, data breaches have become all too common.
This has led people to worry about the security of the information they access on their computers and mobile devices, including their contacts, emails, and bank records. Companies that don’t provide cybersecurity training to their employees may face legal action – or even a fine.
Employers should ensure that all employees have completed cybersecurity training to avoid this.
4. Protect your company’s intellectual property
Cybersecurity training is essential for everyone in your company. It can help employees do their job safely, protecting the company’s data and intellectual property while avoiding potential conflicts with other employees.
Protecting information is just one aspect of cybersecurity, but it is essential. Any business that stores, processes, and transmits information is subject to cybersecurity threats.
The majority of attacks focus on stealing personal or confidential information rather than infiltrating networks or systems.
Businesses handling sensitive information should train their employees appropriately, and hence, they know how to avoid sharing data.
5. Cybersecurity training can help companies avoid money loss and reputational damage
It is important to note that the top sectors of cybersecurity training include the healthcare industry, technology, and banking.
If a company in those sectors wants to avoid money loss and reputational damage, they need to ensure its employees are properly trained in cybersecurity.
This can mean saving an organization millions of dollars and helping retain clients. It is important to note that the top sectors for cybersecurity training include the healthcare industry, technology, and banking.
If a company in those sectors wants to avoid money loss and reputational damage, they need to ensure its employees are properly trained in cybersecurity. This can mean saving an organization millions of dollars and helping retain clients.
How to Get Your Employees to Take Cybersecurity Training?
1. Show employees it’s in their interest to train
Cybersecurity training is essential for employees, but many companies find it challenging to get workers to sign up.
Often, the problem lies with the managers who don’t know how to convince their direct reports to take the course.
You don’t just want to train your employees—you want them to take the training seriously. One way is to show them how critical cybersecurity is to their well-being.
The more an employee feels at risk, the more engaged they are likely to be in learning how to protect themselves and their company.
2. Let employees know they have time to take the training
Employees want to know if security training is optional or required and how much time they have to take it.
Giving employees the option to take the training on their own time will make them feel more comfortable with the information provided by your organization.
It’s always best to give employees the option to take training at a time that works for them. This way, employees can get the training they want and need, when they want it, without feeling rushed.
If possible, provide onsite training at your organization. This option can be more effective than delivering training online since the training will be in a controlled environment. If possible, provide the training at a convenient time for your employees.
3. Make yourself (employer or manager) available to answer questions
The most effective way to get your employees to take cybersecurity training is to make sure they know it is essential and understand why.
When you offer cybersecurity training as part of their job, it will be much more likely to be taken seriously by the employees.
Employers or managers should always make themselves available to their employees.
Furthermore, you can set up a private group where users can ask questions and get answers from managers and team leaders.
It’s constructive if you have a lot of employees who may work from home or on the road and need help with something specific but can’t get in touch with you.
4. Recognize employees who take the training
Cybersecurity training may seem like a boring topic for your employees, but it’s well worth protecting your company from cyberattacks. When you start implementing cybersecurity training for your workers, you may run into some resistance.
Find out what works best to get them on board with becoming cybersecurity experts. An excellent strategy is the use of incentives or rewards. If you want your employees to take cybersecurity training, the most important thing is to recognize those who participate.
That’s unacceptable. Suppose your company offers benefits or perks to those taking cybersecurity training. The benefits may be an employee discount or an extra day off, and then participation will increase.
5. Include cybersecurity in staff performance reviews
Cybersecurity training is a hot topic this year, and all employees must understand the issue and its risks. Taking a step in the right direction, several firms now include cybersecurity in their staff performance reviews.
They are incentivizing employees with bonuses if they participate in cybersecurity training. Start by including cybersecurity in staff performance reviews. Additionally, explain that cyberattacks are a reality and part of doing business today.
Additionally, make cybersecurity part of your employee training so that new hires know what is expected of them when using company networks and systems.
6. Make it relevant to their jobs
One of the challenges of cybersecurity training for employees is making sure it’s relevant to their job. If you work in cybersecurity and need to train your help desk staff, make sure your training relates to the issues they will see daily.
Cybersecurity training should also address employees’ concerns and be tailored to the type of work.
Cybersecurity curricula can range from a single session to an intensive week-long training program.
Some organizations do not provide cybersecurity training, relying instead on informal methods such as reading email policies or listening to talks on fighting cybercrime.
Whether you are a tech company or healthcare provider, consider day-to-day employee responsibilities and showcase how cybersecurity incidents could negatively impact them.
Finally, when offering a relevant training course, make it short and to the point, with real examples of attacks in your industry.
7. Keep it relevant, up-to-date, personalized, and fun
The last tip is to make sure the training stays relevant and up-to-date because, with all the rapidly evolving threats out there, it’s easy for employees to forget what they learned.
You need to keep your employee training current, relevant, and fun. Also, if you want to stay in business, you will need to keep up with all cybersecurity topics; it is not just about the latest threats.
The world of cybersecurity is forever evolving as new technology comes out, and people are getting more and more connected. With so much information available, all employees must understand how they can best protect themselves while on company time or using company devices.
Lastly, cybersecurity professionals recommend giving your employees quarterly updates on these threats and what their company is doing to combat them.
FAQs
What is the best way for employers to prevent their employees from becoming cybercrime victims?
The best way for employers to protect their employees from cybercrime is to provide cybersecurity training.
The primary benefit of such training is that it helps employees recognize the risks involved with online actions and how to protect themselves from these risks.
Training can also help make employees aware of the resources available for reporting possible incidents and guidelines for action if an incident occurs.
What are the requirements for a solid cybersecurity training program?
The standard for a solid cybersecurity training program is to ensure that all of your employees know what “cybersecurity” means and how it applies to them. They should understand the potential threat posed by hackers with malicious intent.
Furthermore, employees should learn about the different ways that their organization is vulnerable.
What kind of business needs cybersecurity training the most?
Cybersecurity training is a must for any business. It’s not just about protecting your computers and networks from hackers but also protecting your data from being leaked or stolen.
No matter what type of business you have, cybersecurity is crucial.
Final Thoughts
Cybersecurity is not just a technical concern; it’s a business problem. Companies and organizations of all sizes should prioritize training their employees on cybersecurity best practices.
In addition, these policies should be consistent at all levels, from the board room to the front desk and every employee.
With cybersecurity attacks hitting the headlines almost every day, it’s more important than ever that you know how to keep your business safe.
Even small businesses can be victims of cyberattacks, and the consequences can be devastating.
The more employees are informed about how to protect against, detect and respond to cyber threats, the better protected your business.
Lastly, computer science may be challenging, but it is not as hard as you may think it is. The notion that computer science is hard is why people run away from the course.
There’s an article on the website if you’d like to find out if computer science is hard. Get more information by reading a guide to learning computer science.
You should also read more about essential training employees must undergo.
Thanks for reading.
