Can you envision what the consequences would be if personal or financial data relating to each employee in your organization were leaked to a cybercriminal? Can your employees spot the difference between an official email from the CFO and a fake message?

Cybercriminals are getting smarter and savvier with their attacks nowadays, and businesses with limited or no cybersecurity awareness training programs are at risk. Even the best security solutions in the world would not do any good if the users were not cyber-aware and know what they’re doing.

Thus, employees within organizations need to start taking initiatives to strengthen their cyber line of defense. We’ll outline the top 6 reasons why every company should invest in cybersecurity awareness training programs for employees and how they can benefit organizations as a whole.

Attacks are on the rise as more employees are working from home.

Numerous organizations were not ready for the dramatic change that this pandemic caused and were forced to work remotely. Cybercriminals are jumping on this and are presently utilizing this change in the work environment to go after unsuspecting and unsecured devices.

It was noticed that a flood in remote work has expanded the use of potentially vulnerable services like virtual private networks (VPNs), unpatched Windows Machines, and an absence of security at home, enhancing the danger to people and companies. Thus, it is crucial for employees to take the right security measures to avoid falling victim to potential cyber threats during these crucial times.

To upgrade information security standards.

Every organization is working towards putting security policies and controls in place. Cybersecurity training programs shed light on these policies and show employees how various procedures and frameworks coordinate and work together. Training modules make sure staff members understand challenges faced by security issues and know how to deal with any problems that crop up.

On a broader scale, it helps employees track security issues that surface at the roots and mitigate them before they escalate and become worse. Most cybercrime incidents begin on a smaller scale and do not become a full-blown data breach until it’s too late. Thus, cybersecurity training programs help avoid such cases by educating users and upgrading information security protocols.

To combat issues with regard to human error.

According to IBM Cyber Security Intelligence Index, 95% of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error, and firewalls cannot keep a staff member from succumbing to a phishing email. Your organization could burn through millions on cutting edge security software but none of this will matter if your employees are not appropriately prepared on the best way to spot and react to cyberattacks.

It is much simpler for cyber criminals to go through a short amount of time creating a phishing email than to spend months investigating zero-day vulnerabilities.

On the off chance that your workers are not prepared for a cyberattack, the unfortunate truth is that your company is not either. Thus, a training program can help raise the awareness and knowledge towards being more susceptible to any threats – from phishing to physical security.

To reduce the anxiety and stress levels at work.

Everybody can be on edge during the aftermath of a cybercrime incident. There is a lack of trust and an air of negativity at work after a case. Due to the lack of cyber awareness, employees do not know what went wrong or if anybody at work played a role in the event.

A good employee cybersecurity training program can take the stress away at work by instilling employees with confidence about technology and cybersecurity procedures. When employees know how to interact with confidential data and communicate with security teams and staff members online, they are less likely to make mistakes.

To prevent monetary damages to your organization.

Often when security budgets are compiled, the focus is primarily on technology such as software and AI. But there is one significant area of cybersecurity budgeting that can immensely affect an organization yet is regularly neglected – employees.

When employees have the best security awareness training, they are more likely to promptly trace potential threats and report any incoming incidents. Operational disruptions within the organization can be prevented, and IT security teams can quarantine threats before they escalate, which would evidently cause more financial damage. But all this is made possible when everybody works in a coordinated way, which happens when there is enough cyber awareness.

Compliance requirements for organizations are progressively centered around employee training.

Compliance like HIPAA and PCI-DSS all have requirements that emphasize employee training. This is because they understand the significance of getting each employee within an organization trained, not simply the IT division. This also includes guaranteeing that all employees are completely prepared for these regulations and comprehend the obligations they hold.

Regulations such as GDPR and CCPA all include a set of rules that must be obeyed. Otherwise, an organization could be fined and ultimately jeopardize their reputation. Hence, with good security awareness training, your organization can be ready in the event of a cyber breach.

Conclusion

We live in a digital age where our personal and professional lives are intertwined on the internet. Almost everyone is active online, uses technology, and is on their mobile devices, making it easier than ever for hackers to locate new targets. Through adequate security awareness training and cybercrime protection programs, companies can learn how to protect themselves from emerging cybercrime threats. Hackers are growing intelligent, mastering innovative and sophisticated ways of penetrating networks and IT systems. This makes it imperative for businesses not to neglect security awareness training and instead incorporate it into organizations. Employee cybersecurity training is thus no longer optional but a must in order to engage, communicate and work productively inside organizations without facing trust issues.