Did you know social engineering is one of the most effective ways for cyber criminals to compromise security systems today? Over 50 percent of socially engineered attacks are said to be successful in accomplishing their nefarious goals. What is social engineering? Simply, fooling the person at the other end such that they willingly give you the data you want.
No matter how sophisticated your security is, it can all be undone by a negligent workforce.
Creating authentic-looking emails and mimicking popular websites is one of the easiest ways cybercriminals make people click links that covertly install viruses, malware, keyloggers, and malicious code. As a managed IT services company that helps clients across industries, we have found security awareness training to be one of the most effective ways of defending against cyber attacks.
Why security awareness training?
Education and practical training is essential to helping:
- Develop the right behaviours
- Build a security aware workforce
- Make employees more vigilant
- Enhance awareness of threats that try to infiltrate your systems
Shortcomings of traditional computer-based testing methods
Computer-based testing offers great results when testing employees about the knowledge of best practices. However, computer-based testing fails to prepare for facing and recognizing these threats in day to day work. Moreover, there is a disconnect between what is taught and its relevance in the real world.
It’s why security awareness training has garnered so much attention in recent years. Human engineering remains one of the most challenging issues for businesses. How much security is too much? At what point do defensive practices become hindrances? Educating employees about cyber security is how organizations can strike the right balance for their cyber security.
Why security awareness training for employees is important
Reducing errors – Carelessness, lack of attention to detail are what causes people to click on suspicious looking links and introducing malware on to computers and networks. Imagine confusing a malicious link as one originating from your online backup storage solutions provider and downloading software that compromises your entire network. Telling employees about common scams and how they may be targeted goes a long way to making a more aware and vigilant workforce.
Sensitizing to consequences – Too often people don’t realize the consequences of their actions. It is all too easy to think that a suspicious link may just open a pop-up. Security awareness education really sensitizes staff to the real risks – keylogging, loss of personal and business information, camera hijacking and more. As a provider of IT solutions in Toronto, we see a marked upturn in voluntary two-factor authentication after employees realize the consequences of their actions.
A well formulated strategy on security awareness training for staff can yield just as great a benefit as the investment in technical cyber security.
Increasing compliance – Whether in manufacturing, healthcare, retail or any other field, contracts and legislation set strict process and standard requirements. Intellectual property, financial transactions and the like are extremely valuable information and employees’ failure to adhere to set protocol can land the company in serious violation. It is essential that security awareness training by a provider of managed IT servicesis supplemented by regular follow-up sessions.
Improving morale – When employees don’t know what the correct procedures are or how they should respond to threats, it lowers self-esteem and makes them more likely to hide the problem. Worse, if there is constant friction regarding conduct but a lack of guidance on cyber security, it can lower the morale of the entire workforce. Making sure your employees are trained will increase their sense of belonging to the company, improve morale and enhance job satisfaction.
Trying to combat the cyber threats of today and those that arise in the future with a single pronged strategy is doomed to fail. Online backup storage solutions, managed IT services and more can help, but you need to tackle challenges from multiple angles. With staff that understands the importance of cyber security – and their role in improving it – you will find your operation running more smoothly and safely.
Staff must be aware of how they can be targeted and what may be targeted by cybercriminals. Building this vigilance, on a regular and ongoing basis is crucial for safeguarding your information and business. Contact Numentis for security awareness training needs. Providing IT solutions in Toronto for many businesses gives us great insight into how best to approach training for staff.
