Security awareness training is one of the most cost-efficient means to protect your businesses. With phishing attempts and data breaches on the rise, the need for a more informed workforce is growing in all sectors.
While many industries in the world are leveraging a more remote workforce, this leaves companies open for more attacks through personal devices. Some of the most common and effective attacks happen via email like spear phishing, social engineering attacks, or ransomware attacks.
Here are five reasons that bolstering your security training could save your company time, money, and unneeded measures in the future.
To Prevent Breaches and Attacks
The biggest impact of having a security program is reducing the frequency and severity of attacks. Did you know roughly 90% of data breaches come from human error of an individual or a very small group? An ongoing security training regimen can help eliminate this issue by avoiding the simplest phishing scams.
With the rise in remote working conditions, cyber security attacks are up over 140% in the past two years. As a result, it may be time to assess your current training program and evaluate if it needs to be updated. Since more people are using devices simultaneously, there are more risks that we did not have to deal with in the past. Your people are your best defense!
To Create a Culture of Security
Do you want a team that cares about your company’s and clients’ data safety? If so, you should care about theirs too! While often we think of protecting security of those that we serve, but having a security training program that works on your side also protects your own data. By making sure that your entire staff is not only aware of what attacks are out there, but also how to avoid and report them keeps the company and the individual safe.
People love being part of a team, and while the media often focuses on giving back to employees via healthcare, vacation time, and work life balance (all incredibly important!), making sure their information is safe is something that should be at the top of the list as well. While employees may not think of it at first, they will appreciate their company respecting them enough to take care of their sensitive information. And a happy workforce is one that complies with security measures, meaning there is less risk of an attack from each individual. Employees that are aware of what’s coming and care about security are a great tool to have.
To Build Client Confidence
Simply put, no one wants to do business with a company that has the potential to put information at risk, especially in the legal field. Implementing a thorough security training program from the beginning, creates a safety net of security for your clients. The longer you go without a breach, the more that confidence grows with your target audience. Additionally, having a staff that individually are prepared to deal with attacks and can answer questions on your companies’ preparedness creates an even better image, as well as an actual defense. Since most attacks unwittingly occur through a single employee, the education of every team member helps the organization stay safe.
To Adhere to Compliance Requirements
Security Compliance requirements are not only constantly changing, but are building upon themselves. In the event of a data breach, the data holders themselves are held responsible. This means your company could be facing major repercussions in the event your company is attacked, causing twice the cleanup and headaches.
While the legal sector is well-versed in data security, a training program can ingrain basic technological data security information in employees and save you in the long run. Don’t leave your IT team to constantly put out fires that should be adhered to from the beginning.
To Ensure Cohesive Understanding
Everyone is on a level playing field when it comes to being a victim of data breaches and hacking. While we’d like to think that with age, experience, or seniority in a company comes security against easy mistakes, that isn’t the case. Let us think back to the security breach of Equifax in 2017 caused by personnel not heeding security warnings. Having a security training program that is taken often by every member of the team, even the CEO, means that the entire company is better prepared.
In the end, your workforce is only as well prepared as you make them. Often times security measures change for employees and each company is different. Doing a regular audit of what is included in your security training is helpful for monitoring compliance on a macro schedule and helpful for making sure it still adds to your company culture. Your IT team will thank you for your watchful eyes!