Why you Should Invest in IT Security Awareness Training

Any business is only as secure as its weakest link.

These days, hackers and other cyber criminals will use a variety of methods to try and get access to a company’s servers, targeting the weaker points of a security system.

These weaker points are commonly associated with your employees who are often the easiest way around your network’s defences.

Of course, there are plenty of things you can do to beef up your cybersecurity that make it harder for criminals to target your staff. However, nothing is better than improving your staff’s awareness of the role they play in your organisation’s cybersecurity.

In fact, some 80% of all security breaches could be avoided by things like basic cybersecurity training.

Making your employees more knowledgeable about data security and what to do in the event of a breach means that your entire organisation is better equipped to handle threats.

In short, education is one of the main ways of improving the security of your whole network.

What Does GDPR Mean For IT Security?

GDPR makes it clear that your IT business security is the responsibility of everyone who has access to data on your network. This means that every employee in your organisation who has access to a computer or a smart device must understand the basic principles behind GDPR.

Investing in security awareness training means that your teams know how to lower the risk of serious data breaches that come with hefty financial penalties.

Investment in cybersecurity training can save you money in the long run when you eep in mind that that fines associated with data breaches can be up to 4% of a company’s global turnover under GDPR – a very noticeable sum for most businesses.

Avoiding the Most  Common Cyber Threats

These days, so much work is done on computers that employees at all levels need to have a degree of IT awareness.

While most people know how to carry out basic functions, cybersecurity basics are not as common knowledge for many employees unless they happen to work in IT.

This means that common IT threats like phishing scams and Trojan horses won’t necessarily be spotted by your employees. While you can use automated processes to weed out things like spam email coming into your organisation, no system is foolproof, making a second line of defence crucial.

Keeping Your  Passwords Secure

Did you know that most hackers get into a network by simply guessing a user’s password? This is because many employees don’t use secure passwords.

Make sure your employees know the best practices of setting secure passwords.

These best practices include educating your people on the importance of updating their passwords regularly, using different passwords for different systems and making sure that they aren’t observed when entering their password.

Using secure passwords is especially important when your employees use their devices outside the office and then return to headquarters with them.

If their password is weak, any spyware that might have been installed on their device could end up getting onto your entire network when it is plugged in at the office.

The Importance of Updates and Patches

Any software you have installed on your organisation’s devices is only as good as its latest update. Since hackers are always developing ways to get around anti-malware systems, you need to keep your software up to date.

Updating their device and restarting it is often seen as an annoying task by staff members, meaning they might keep putting it off. That’s why you should make sure they know why it’s so important to always work with the latest iteration of any software they use.

Do I Need Security Awareness Training?

Of course, you could choose not to do any cybersecurity training and face the potential consequences. However, since failing to train your employees could lead to some truly catastrophic outcomes, this isn’t advisable.

Many business managers are now coming to understand that cybersecurity is a team effort.

With up to 88% of data breaches being caused by human error, a good level of IT security awareness across all your staff is nothing short of vital.

What’s Next?

At Jera, we can help with your organisation’s cybersecurity awareness and provide all the employee training you need. To find out more about IT security, click here.

Alternatively, stay tuned for our next upcoming event.