Security Awareness Training? Oh No!  WHY?? Without Training, People Make COSTLY Mistakes!! Increasingly sophisticated attacks planned by Internet Criminals (now using Artificial Intelligence) require your business to have a regular Security Awareness Training program to prevent common, and very costly, human mistakes. Security Awareness Training serves as your frontline defense against all types of attacks. Security Awareness Training empowers individuals working for you to identify and prevent attacks. To ensure the effectiveness of your Security Awareness Training program, you must take steps to avoid common mistakes that endanger your business.

Building a culture of security awareness serves as your vigilant defense.  

Internet Criminals will not change their plans to continue their attacks.

When individuals working for you recognize & respond based on regular training, your business is Protected To Grow. 

Remember, ongoing Employee Training is one of the 19 Essential Elements of True Small Business Data Security™

Avoid Preventable Mistakes:

Keep your business from breaking the Data Security & Privacy Laws:

Mistake #1: Approaching security training as a “one-off” activity
Treat Security Awareness Training as an ongoing mandatory business process, not a “one-off” checkbox exercise. Foster a culture of security awareness with continuous learning and updating.  Provide regular opportunities for your entire team to stay aware of and ready to respond to the latest threats, and to apply security best practices. 

Treat Security Awareness Training as an ongoing journey rather than a one-time event.

Mistake #2: Delivering dull, outdated or unrelatable training
Engagement is vital to proper training. Avoid dull or unrelatable content that fails to capture your individuals’ attention. And, for goodness sakes, make sure your trainings are up-to-date! 

Identify a dependable source for regular trainings that are engaging, relatable and timely. The most effective trainings leverage interactive platforms and user-friendly tools creating an immersive learning experience for your team.

Mistake #3: Measuring Checked Boxes Instead of Confirming Preparedness & Mistake Frequency
Focus on confirming that all the individuals on your team understand and apply each training instead of merely tracking the number of checked boxes saying “Training Completed”.

Focus on each individual’s actual responses to simulated phishing exercises and to emails which contain indications they are from a fraudulent source. Track the frequency of common mistakes that training should prevent, and provide additional training to individuals who need it. 

Create a focus for your Security Awareness culture that measures actual behaviors that demonstrate a true understanding of security principles. Those behaviors are Protecting You To Grow.

Mistake #4: Creating a culture of blame and distrust

Build your Security Awareness culture focused on opportunity for individual growth and improvement instead creating a culture of blame and distrust. Foster a supportive environment where individuals feel comfortable reporting security concerns and asking questions. Encourage a sense of collective responsibility, emphasizing that data security is everyone’s job.

Mistake #5: Leaders withholding support and participation
Leaders plays a crucial role in setting the tone for your Security Awareness Training program. Without visible support and active participation from the owner, executives and managers, it is easy for individuals to perceive that security has a “low priority”. Encourage all leaders on your team to champion security awareness and to actively engage in training, showcasing their commitment to Protect The Business To Grow.

Mistake #6: Avoiding seeking Security Awareness Training assistance and resources 
You are already late, and vulnerable, if you haven’t begun to develop & manage a comprehensive Security Awareness Training program. Yes there are challenges, especially with limited internal resources; however, your business must demonstrate that it obeys the Data Security & Privacy laws.   Seek assistance from expert IT service providers specializing in setting up Security Awareness Training programs. They provide expertise & guidance for implementing and managing an effective program.

Partner to succeed

With regular Security Awareness Training, you can avoid common mistakes, and establish a strong security culture within your business. Don’t wait to get the support you need.

We’re here for you, with years of experience focusing on Security Awareness and on compliance with all the Data Security & Privacy laws.

With our expertise on your side, Security Awareness Training becomes one very important activity that’s being solidly handled. Security Awareness Training serves as your frontline defense against all types of attacks.

Download our checklist, “How Strong is Your Data Security Culture?”  to assess whether you are on the right track. Together, we can fortify your defenses and safeguard your business from increasingly sophisticated attacks planned by Internet Criminals.