5 Important Benefits of Cyber Security Training

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It will come as no surprise to hear that the sophistication and frequency of cyber threats has grown exponentially over the last few years.

According to Purple Sec, cyber attacks increased by 600% during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, cybersecurity awareness training has never been more important for organizations to prioritize.

The largest security threat organizations face when it comes to cyber security is human error, with the potential impacts for those who fall victim to cyber attacks resulting in thousands of dollars in costs.

Educating employees is critical to ensuring the protection of your organization as employees are always your first line of defense. When your organization prioritizes a security culture employees are more likely to engage and understand the importance of security awareness training.

In this article, we’ll explore the importance and benefits of security awareness training, and how focusing on information security training today leads to a better tomorrow for your business.

The Benefits of Cyber Security Training in the Workplace

By educating your employees on how to protect both their sensitive information and the organization’s information. It allows them to become engaged in the organization’s cyber resiliency while learning why cyber awareness training is important.  

Let’s take a closer look at five of the most significant benefits of cyber security awareness training. 

1. Prevent Employees From Falling for Phishing Attacks

Cyber awareness training helps empower employees to take ownership of identifying security risks, such as how to avoid falling victim to phishing emails and attacks.

Phishing emails are when an attacker sends emails containing a link or attachment to be downloaded that appear legitimate but are designed to steal information or install malware on your organization’s devices. 

These types of attacks are often referred to as social engineering attacks as they are designed to make your employees act quickly without second guessing the source of the email.

Implementing awareness training that includes phishing simulations is one of the best ways to have users exposed to real-world scenarios in a controlled environment. This instills cyber awareness in your staff while ensuring they learn the best practices through additional training content. 

2. Reduce the Likelihood of a Data Breach

Implementing training for employees and fostering a culture that prioritizes data protection is the easiest way to reduce the odds of experiencing a data breach. 

By educating employees on the signs of suspicious activity and what to do if they believe there has been a breach, businesses can react quickly and efficiently in case of a potential threat. 

Employees that are uninformed of potential threats pose easy targets for bad actors who are looking to capitalize on a very small mistake.

3. Retaining Client Trust

Businesses that experience data breaches are often unlikely to retain clients. One moment in time can cost years of building trust and reputation with clients, investors, and shareholders.

The results of a survey showed that 86.6% of respondents said they were hesitant to do business with a company that had experienced a data breach.

One attack is all it takes to do irreparable damage to a company’s credibility. The benefits of cyber awareness training to ensure employees are prepared far outweigh the cost if an attack is successful.

Data breaches often also affect partnerships with other businesses. After incidents that become public relationships can appear riskier than they previously had.

In an effort to remove themselves from the impact on their reputation, organizations will often choose to distance themselves from relationships involving data breaches.

4. Mitigating Compliance Issues

As times change, so do the number of regulations businesses must follow. In response to this, a Hyperproof study showed that 83% of respondents planned to purchase or evaluate new tools that would help them automate and simplify their risk management efforts.

Additionally, a further 61% stated that their companies experienced at least one security or compliance issue within the past three years.

If your company operates within a highly-regulated industry, managing sensitive information is a daily occurrence. However, if you are found to be in violation of data protection protocols, you could face sanctions, reputational damage, and a lack of consumer confidence.

In one specific example, HIPAA non-compliance can result in fines ranging from $100 to $50,000 for every violation. That’s a steep price to pay for improper data management.

Educating employees about handling sensitive data is critical. One of the benefits of cyber security training is that your staff will gain the necessary knowledge to avoid the pitfalls of mishandling data to ensure your business avoids compliance violations.

5. Avoiding Legal Issues

Cyber attacks damage more than just your organization’s digital protection and reputation. They can also directly impact your profits.

According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of a data breach rose to $4.35 million in 2022, a 2.6% increase from 2021’s reported value of $4.24 million. Furthermore, suffering a data breach can result in a litany of fines, penalties and lawsuits for your business.

Implementing a cyber awareness training program not only educates your staff, but can also potentially save you millions of dollars in the long run.

Bring the Benefits of Cyber Security Training to Your Business With Advanced Networks

When employees are aware of potential security threats and how to mitigate them, they are far less likely to potentially cause a costly data breach. 

Implementing cyber awareness training positions businesses and employees on how to protect sensitive data. 

As a leading managed service provider, Advanced Networks ensures your business is prepared for any potential cyber attacks. With an average response time of just eight minutes for all IT issues, we can eliminate threats and get your business back on track quickly and efficiently.

Our advanced cybersecurity services offer the same level of protection as that of a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) and include:

• SIEM server and log reviews
• Virus/spyware/spam removal
• Vulnerability penetration testing
• Centralized patch management
• MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
• Reviewing firewall and router logs
• Cybersecurity compliance checklists
• Free antivirus and anti-malware protection
• Secure email services (via Hosted Exchange)
• Online document sharing (via Hosted Exchange) 

With more than 20 years of combined IT experience, we focus on securing your infrastructure so you can focus on managing your business. 

For more information on our cybersecurity awareness training, contact us today.