10 Tips for Choosing Security Awareness Training for Your Team

woman on computer doing security training
Did you know 95% of data breaches are caused by human error? That means that any business’s greatest security weakness is their own staff—that’s a scary reality! But don’t worry: a reliable Security Awareness Training program provided by an experienced IT professional can teach your employees how to avoid data risks. Security training can be a huge benefit to your data security, not to mention, many compliance regulations now require you to train your staff on cybersecurity hygiene. Here are ten tips on how to choose the right program for your staff:

1. Training should be tailored to your needs.

You don’t want a standard, one-size-fits all Security Awareness Training course when there are so many different ways employees use their devices. Businesses of different sizes and industries need unique training to address the number of devices, the type of devices and information being transmitted, and the authorized users involved in sharing data.

2. Training should be based on awareness.

Security Awareness Training is not about teaching your staff how to set up a firewall or lock down their computer, it’s designed to help them understand why these security measures are important and what they can personally do to protect themselves from cyber threats with the skills they already have.

3. Training should help employees feel safe and secure.

If security is a priority for your business, make sure training makes employees feel like security is important to you. A happy employee can be a more productive one—and what’s not motivating about protecting the data they need do their job?

4. Training has measurable results.

You’re going to want some metrics on how well your Security Awareness Training is working. How many employees have been trained? Are they passing the phishing tests or failing them? You should be able to tell how much Security Awareness Training has helped improve security and employee behavior over time.

5. Training should discuss where and how devices can be used.

Today’s security threats are often mobile. Your training should cover how work devices can be used, which means discussing the security concerns related to BYOD policies, internet use on mobile devices, and cloud storage access from phones or tablets.

6. Training should focus on safely storing and accessing data.

Security Awareness Training should focus on your employees’ security basics, like how to set up a secure password and the importance of multi-factor authentication. Then it can expand into more advanced security topics, like safely storing data in the cloud or sending sensitive information over email.

7. Training should include social media policies.

You want to make sure your Security Awareness Training covers how employees use social media—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Your program should also explain why certain security measures are important when using chat apps, file sharing services, and other security risks that can happen on social media.

8. Training should be offered on different security topics.

Security needs are constantly changing, so Security Awareness Training should always have new material for employees. New security threats come out all the time, but good Security Awareness Training will tell employees what they need to know about them and keep a variety of security topics in their training program.

9. Training should help employees do their jobs better.

You want Security Awareness Training that helps improve security and employee productivity at the same time. For example, if your program covers how to access a VPN so data can safely be transmitted, your employees will have a streamlined process for using the data they need for their jobs while also protecting your file security.

10. Training should be ongoing.

Security Awareness Training is only as good as the amount of time you’re willing to spend making sure your employees are up-to-date with it. You should continually update your training so your employees remain educated on how to avoid threats.

What Now?

Using these tips, your business can eliminate a huge majority of risks facing your data. With human error playing such a major role in data breaches, addressing this major vulnerability within your company can save your valuable time, money, and reputation. To learn more about Busch Consulting’s Security Awareness Training resources, contact our experts today.
by Matthias Busch
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