Why Annual Cybersecurity Awareness Training Isn’t Enough

Why Annual Cybersecurity Awareness Training Isn’t Enough

Cybersecurity education can help companies avoid the devastating financial and reputational costs of cyberattacks, the vast majority of which rely on social engineering to infiltrate secure accounts and systems. But too many companies treat cybersecurity training as a check-the-box exercise, which means they only offer perfunctory training once or twice a year. This is a mistake – employees need consistent reinforcement to retain what they learn, as well as frequent reminders that cybersecurity is integral to your company culture. 

The only way companies can secure long-term behavioral change is by providing engaging cyber-awareness content and continuously assessing employees’ knowledge. Here are a few tips for making the most out of your cybersecurity education program: 

  1. Keep your employees engaged. Training should always be engaging and relevant to capture and hold your employees’ attention. For example, lessons should be based on real-world cyberattacks to remind employees that what they’re learning has immediate practical value. 
  2. Honestly assess the performance of your educational platform. Companies can use phishing tests, quizzes, and other reporting mechanisms to determine whether their training programs are actually working. Merely having a training platform in place isn’t enough – it has to facilitate sustainable behavioral change. 
  3. Focus on consistent training. Your employees won’t retain what they learn if they aren’t exposed to cyber-awareness content on a regular basis. Annual training is nowhere near frequent enough to be effective. 
  4. Provide relevant content. Real-life breaches give employees actionable information on how to address cyberthreats, as well as reminders of how dire the consequences of a successful attack can be.

To build a culture of cybersecurity at your company, the subject has to be a part of your employees’ daily lives. This means providing educational content at regular intervals, establishing clear channels for reporting suspicious activity, and rewarding employees when they demonstrate cyber-awareness. It has never been more vital for companies to guard themselves against cyberattacks, and effective education is the most reliable way to do so.

If you’re interested in seeing why NINJIO’s training meets that need, get in touch with one of our cybersecurity awareness advisors today!