It is important to train your staff on cybersecurity. They are the frontline in protecting company data and information, not the information technology department who are just there for support when it all goes wrong. According to a recent study into cybersecurity, “80 percent of companies have no formal training program that prepares employees for cybersecurity threats”. Here are some of the ways you can train your staff on cybersecurity:
Have Regular Trainings
Regular training gives your staff the chance to get used to cybersecurity. It’ll feel natural and they’ll know what they’re supposed to do in an emergency. If training is irregular then your staff will be caught off guard when there’s a real cybersecurity threat. That can lead to mistakes being made, putting data at risk of being compromised.
Use Newsletters or Bulletins
Use regular newsletters or bulletins on cybersecurity best practices especially if you don’t have time for training. Your employees are busy and need to use their time wisely, so it’s important not to waste it by making them sit through training that won’t change anything about how they work…because we all know training has a pretty low retention rate.
Focus Trainings on the Basics
It’s often not worth spending too much time training your employees on cybersecurity. They may find it boring and switch off after a minute; training needs to be engaging and interesting if they’re going to make an impact. Which means training should focus on the basics, like what someone can do to protect their laptop or mobile device from viruses and malware that’s always trying to get in (which is how most data breaches start). Basic training also teaches people how to update passwords regularly because we all know people rarely change them even when you tell them it’s important!
Offer Cybersecurity Services for Staff
Staff could sign up for “cybersecurity services” like having suspicious emails forwarded to them, for example. It’s better than training but only if the cybersecurity service is reliable. It’s no use if staff end up receiving less phishing emails (and therefore compromising more data) because the security service doesn’t work!
Do Trainings on an Ad Hoc Basis
If training isn’t working then you might need to train your employees on cybersecurity when there’s a threat in order for it to be effective. Real life training can help your employees learn from their mistakes and understand why they’re important in real time. That leads to training being more effective, which is what training should be if we want them to do any good!
Send Trainings to Employees’ Mobile Devices
Everyone uses their phone and tablet for work these days so training should be accessible on those devices. Sending training directly to employee’s mobile devices makes training easier and more convenient. Those two things lead to people actually doing the training instead of just clicking “receive” without reading anything. Plus it means training can happen on the go which can help reduce cyber risks as well as convenience staff at all times.
If training isn’t working then it’s time to try something new! If training is boring then make sure training is engaging and interesting with these top tips for training employees on cybersecurity. There is only so much training your employees will sit through until they decide it’s not worth their time or they become desensitized. You need your training to be as efficient as possible – otherwise, what’s the point?
