Becoming aware of the Security Data Training
Small mistakes can have large consequences. It just takes one innocent employee to accidentally click on the malicious attachment in a phishing email, for a companies’ device to get infected with malware that leads to sensitive information ending up in criminal hands. So what about the security data training?
You bet that was not that employees’ goal when he woke up that day! How to upgrade his and others’ cyber skills? We think that great questions deserve great answers. Introducing our great answer: perform a security data training.
Experts state that employees are the weakest link in the security of company data. Don’t get us wrong. Of course, we need to take the right technological measures in order to protect sensitive information. Besides, as human beings we won’t solve what technology can do for us. Though, you can take all the measures you want, but without great awareness among employees big risks are still comfortably lurking.
We’re only human!
The purpose of having a security data training is to educate your employees and (future) team members on the technological challenges and threats that almost (if not) all companies face nowadays. Like we said before, the goal is to address the human factor of it,, not to replace everything technology can provide. 95% of these days’ data breaches happen because of human errors. Therefore, security awareness trainings have little or nothing to do with technology failing.
Watch and learn:
The security awareness training helps companies to minimize their security and privacy risks. Such as the loss of their customers’ data, intellectual property or reputation. They provide the necessary information on policies, procedures and best practices, from the company to the local laws and regulations. But also on how to deal with personal information.
What does the company expects from you as an individual?
The security awareness training will teach you the duties and obligations around personal data that the company expects from you, but also what you have to do as a European citizen. Other examples of topics that pass by in a security awareness training are what to share through email and what to share verbally. Key points on how to recognize potential threats by cyber criminals and how to use the technology you have at hand.
We would say that, if you leave a security awareness training a little bit more paranoid than how you came in, the training was a success.
Is the security awareness training mandatory?
For companies that are either ISO27001 certified or planning to go for the certification, the training is a requirement and not something optional. In this case, it is mandatory to provide these training sessions to all present team members, at least once a year. Whenever someone is new, you should strive to give them at least a sufficient amount of information and the right materials from the training. It will help them understand their risks and obligations as well.
Remember, if the cyber security awareness training does what it’s supposed to do in threat prevention, it isn’t just an employer benefit. The knowledge the training provides also benefits your customers, your suppliers and everyone else within your network. And don’t forget about your employees themselves.
You bet that, if the employee in the introduction of this article had known how to prevent the clueless yet massive mistake, a way better night of sleep would be ahead.
