When it comes to information security, people always talk about technologies, policies and processes. They are an important piece but, in the end, the true protagonists of security in companies are the employees. They use the IT infrastructure of your organization to manage an important asset: information.
Just as you carry out controls and training, such as for the prevention of occupational risks, it is also important to educate and train them on security awareness.
What are the advantages of training your employees in security awareness?
1. Build your company’s security culture.
Training your employees in security awareness is the first step for building a culture of security in your organization. That will serve to establish the bases of protection, both for your confidential proprietary information, as well as your customers’ and suppliers’.
You will create a positive shift in the employees’ mindset and a change of behaviour, which will translate into a more serious commitment towards cyber security initiatives in the long run.
After the training, it would be interesting to create a cyber security best practice guide, as well as summary playbooks that collect the most important aspects of the security protocols, policies and procedures in a simple manner.
2. Prevent risks and avoid attacks.
Quality security awareness training minimizes the fear and uncertainty that employees may have with regards to common online threats. As a result, the organization will have a more skilled, confident, and knowledgeable workforce. This contributes with a reduction of human errors and mitigating security risks.
3. Better organizational reputation.
When companies are the target of a cyber attack, apart from the economic loss that it entails, they may also experience a loss of trust within their customer base, future clients, shareholders, etc.
On the contrary, organizations with a proactive approach to information security can help reassure their commitment to their customer base (and other key groups), build confidence and improve their reputation.
4. Financial savings.
Training your employees about the most relevant security threats has an economic cost. This cost is not an expense, but rather an investment. It will always be cheaper to train employees in security than to fix the problems caused by a cyber attack. According to a recent report from the tech giant IBM, it costs an average of 23.5 million kroner for a Scandinavian company to be exposed to computer attacks.
5. Helps and complements General Data Protection Regulation compliance.
One of the most important points within the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is that the information must be guarded within the organization, and that the movement of information flows are always controlled with clear traceability at all times. When the people who are in charge of managing that information know exactly how to handle it, they will help the company comply with GDPR.
6. Improve employee well-being.
Security awareness training keeps people safe at work, and also keeps them safe in their personal life. A synergy is created, which improves employee general well-being.
Encripto provides specialized, high quality, information security services. Our core expertise is security testing and training.
If you would like to know more about our security awareness training, we recommend that you check our training services.