‍

With human error being one of the most difficult risks to manage, employees are often the biggest threat to any company’s security posture. To mitigate this threat, it is vital to add cybersecurity awareness training to your company’s security arsenal.  Awareness training is necessary to educate employees on the potential security risks they may encounter to protect the entire organization.

Every company should be regularly educating their employees about security best practices, as employees are a company’s first and often last line of defense. They must become educated on topics such as: phishing attacks, password security, working remotely, public Wi-Fi, malware attempts, etc.

If training is neglected, the damage from cyber threats can be very detrimental and negate all other implemented security measures. Not to mention, with the click of a button, a company’s reputation and credibility can be destroyed.

Questions to ask when looking to implement Security Awareness Training.

‍

What does it cost to implement security training?

A more important question to ask is, “What is the cost of not implementing security training?” A security breach or cyber-attack can be not only costly monetarily, but lethal to the life of a company. Although it is entirely possible to provide training in-house, it is not always the best option as security protocols are constantly changing.

Most companies find it easier and more efficient to outsource training to third parties. Thankfully, a security training implementation can cost as little as $1-$2 per employee and offers the most up to date training curriculum.  A small price to pay for employees to be well-versed in cyber security do’s and don'ts.

What should you look for in a cybersecurity awareness training provider?

Find a training format and frequency pattern that works for your organization. Some vendors offer very interactive and often animated training programs, while others are more straightforward and simplistic.

Regardless of the chosen training program, it is important to ensure that there is a testing element for each training module. This ensures the training is absorbed and understood by every employee. Some providers can take this testing a step farther with simulated phishing emails.

The training offered to employees needs to be continuous as it is not a one and done type of learning experience. As mentioned, security protocols are constantly evolving. Employees should be trained at a frequency that works best for your organization, whether that be monthly, quarterly, or semiannually.

If you find employees are not responding well to a vendor’s training methods, then change providers as the cost to switch is generally minimal.

‍

How do I motivate my employees to complete their cybersecurity awareness training?

How a company decides to motivate employees to accomplish their security training should align with current company culture. Sometimes, a reminder email from management is all it takes.

Other companies choose to reward employees with prizes (i.e., Starbucks gift cards) for completing training in a timely manner and punish those who forget to complete their security training. Punishments vary, but most often, consequences result in additional training requirements.

‍

How eLynx handles Cybersecurity Awareness Training.

eLynx outsources monthly employee security training through a third-party training provider, KnowB4. At the beginning of each month, employees are notified via email that they have been enrolled in a new training session. This email includes a brief description of the training, hyperlinks to the session, and an expected completion date.

To ensure all employees complete their training, eLynx has found reminder emails work best. Four days prior to the expected completion date, a reminder email is sent to employees who have not completed their training. The training is considered complete when employees successfully pass a test at the end of the training session.

In addition to the scheduled training sessions, eLynx contracts KnowB4 to send phishing attempts to each employee to further test their retention of the training materials. Each employee within the company is given a personal risk score based on their actions regarding phishing attempts and completed training assignments.

eLynx is committed to following the most rigorous security standards to protect customers' data and sensitive information. Providing security training for all eLynx employees is just one of the many measures eLynx uses to protect customers. Find out more about eLynx Security and Continuity here.

‍