Why Your Employees Need Security Training

When it comes to business, the information that you hold is crucial to the business. Whether it is plans for new products, employee personal details, or customer payment information, it all needs to be kept secure. A leak, a breach of security, or an unsuspecting employee replying to a phishing email can be disastrous for your company. That is why your employees need to have security training. No matter how strong you have cybersecurity strategies in place, there is always a degree of human error that can lead to security risks.  

Employees need to have security training in order to not only protect themselves, but to protect the business against fraud or cybersecurity attacks. When employees are made aware of some of the tactics that could occur, as well as the threats that they could be faced with, then you are weakening up any potential weak link in the chain. When the whole team knows what to look out for, any would-be scammer or phisher is likely to give up when they know they’re not getting through to you. 

Cybersecurity training

The reason for having cybersecurity training is for employees to be more aware, and to make sure that they are altering their habits and behaviors. There is also a sense of accountability, knowing that they play a part in keeping the business secure and keeping data safe from attacks. 

Naturally, just going over this once and then not addressing it again, isn’t going to be the best way to deal with it. Regular training and best practice needs to be addressed, to make sure that all employees, new and old, know what to do.

Starting with new employees, you should make sure that you have security training for them from day one. Covering all of the important topics, starting with something like cybersecurity training videos can be a good idea. This will help employees to be able to identify spam content that is hidden, as well as the knowledge that spam can be in emails, as well as on social media; anything with a link should be addressed with caution.

Phishing training is something else for employees to be taught. These can be simple attacks, but can cause a lot of problems. Look at what a phishing email looks like, addressing the kind of information that they would ask you for. If an email asks about passwords, bank details, personal information, or passwords, even if it sounds like it is from someone you know, then it is highly likely to be phishing. 

The training that you offer should look at cybersecurity tips  and point out the tactics that are used to trick someone into downloading something malware or ransomware to a computer. Both of these things are big threats to a company.

The easiest way to implement training like this is to work with managed IT services. A reputable IT company will have ready trainings to share with you and your employees. This takes a load off your shoulders.

Reduce risks

When you train employees in all things security, and keep the training on-going, then it can help to massively reduce risks. Employees will be aware of phishing attacks, and will know best practice when it comes to the importance of passwords and changing them regularly. 

If you are a company reading this, your business can easily be vulnerable to cyber attacks, without you even knowing it. If you have a team of employees that know what to look out for and are trained in your policies, procedures, and best practice, then it will help to reduce a lot of risks. 

Chris Turn
 

Chris has experience covering the latest trends in the small business world, and has a reputation for being a knowledgeable, creative and strategic blogger. He has a deep understanding of marketing and branding principles and how they can be applied to small businesses, and is able to provide actionable advice and strategies for success. Chris has interviewed industry experts and covered major marketing events such as the SXSW Interactive conference and the Advertising Week conference. He is also a successful small business owner himself, which allows him to bring a unique perspective to his blogging and writing. His blog is known for providing valuable insights and tips on how to effectively market and brand a small business.