The Importance of Cybersecurity Awareness

Having network monitoring and implementing cybersecurity tools, like antivirus software and firewalls, are great ways to improve your safety and cybersecurity. However, those solutions alone aren’t quite enough to provide the level of protection your company needs. In addition to cybersecurity tools, you should also build your team’s cybersecurity awareness. This can be done with the help of cybersecurity awareness training.

What Is Cybersecurity Awareness Training?

Just one successful cyberattack has the potential to bring your company to a screeching halt, which is why cybersecurity should always be a top priority for any business. However, technology on its own can only do so much. Did you know a recent study from the World Economic Forum found that human error was the main contributing factor behind 95% of all data breaches? Firewalls can’t really stop an employee who is unwittingly creating backdoors for cyberthreats.

Cybercriminals know that employees are the easiest way to gain access to a secure network. Since the human factor plays such a crucial role in securing your business, education is the best way to fix the problem. Security awareness training arms your workforce with the information they need to avoid, prevent, and stop cyberthreats.

Cybersecurity awareness training is a program that helps build awareness and teaches your team about vulnerabilities and threats to your business. It also presents an opportunity for them to learn the proper actions to take during an actual cyberattack. With this knowledge, they can be an active participant in keeping your organization safe.

How Does Cybersecurity Employee Training Work?

The goal of cybersecurity awareness training is to transform your employees from being weak links to becoming one of your most valuable cybersecurity assets. This requires ongoing cybersecurity instruction. With continual training, your employees are less likely to forget what they’ve learned.

However, since they’re going to be busy with their own tasks throughout the day, training should be done on an on-demand basis. This allows your team to take courses whenever they have free time. The core components of a cybersecurity awareness training program often include:

Education: Your team is given learning material (like newsletters, posters, and graphics) that helps them understand threats, how to avoid them, and what to do if a cyberattack happens.
Testing: Your IT department or managed services provider can perform simulated attacks that allow your staff to put what they’ve learned to the test.
Transformation: Ultimately, you want your training to transform your workplace culture in a way that prioritizes awareness and responsibility.

What Are the Benefits of Cybersecurity Awareness?

As you train your employees and build their awareness, there are some cybersecurity best practices you can implement for your business right now. Use these tips to help keep your network secure:

Assess Your Network: Hackers invade your network by finding security gaps in your infrastructure. One of the easiest ways to close up those gaps is to perform a comprehensive risk assessment. This is a procedure where an expert evaluates your IT infrastructure for vulnerabilities. If any weaknesses are found during the assessment, you have the information you need to take corrective action.
Create Backups: What would happen if you lost access to all of your company’s data at this moment? If you’re storing all of your information in one place, this nightmare scenario could happen to you. By creating backups stored in the cloud, you can protect your company from a data loss event.
Create Clear Policies: Policies create expectations for how an employee is to conduct themselves while at work. A cybersecurity policy can explain what the employee should and shouldn’t do to avoid cyberthreats. Policies can be very helpful, but only when they are clear and easy to follow. The more straightforward you can make your cybersecurity policies, the less likely your employees are to make mistakes.
Limit Data Access: Everyone in your organization should only have access to as much of your network as they need to do their jobs. Only allow a few of your most trusted employees to have full access. This way, if someone’s device is compromised, the threat is contained to whatever that person has permissions for.
Secure Your Hardware: The devices your employees use shouldn’t be left out in the open, especially when in public. There’s too great a chance for your hardware to be stolen. When your staff is done using their devices, they should store them out of sight and in a secure location.

Protect Your IT With Arizona Computer Guru

For the best IT solutions in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, come to Arizona Computer Guru. We offer a wide range of IT services to keep your business running smoothly. If you’re having any trouble with your cybersecurity, our consultants can help you establish the cybersecurity measures you need.