Cybersecurity Consciousness Coaching Is A Should
Cybersecurity training is a must
Why should you teach your employees about cybersecurity? Up to 90% of data breaches are due to human error. As a result, you can pay hundreds of thousands or even millions in attack removal fees.
Getting employees to care about cybersecurity can feel like trying to get them to care about air pollution. At the end of the day everyone is interested, but the topic comes across as dry and extremely boring.
According to scientific research, the brain is 68% [1] more involved in a particular activity when experiencing a sense of fun. Here is expert advice on how to make cybersecurity training fresh, fun, and dynamic. Ready, Set, Go!
1. Reconsider your messages
Are your cybersecurity messages scary or guilty? Turn your cybersecurity messages into positive, friendly, and motivational language. Your employees will likely appreciate a bit of humor if it isn’t too far!
2. Skip the conference room
In the age of remote working, you may not even have a conference room. Regardless of their location, long lectures can make employees feel checked out.
However, hosting an all-hand virtual meeting where security experts are available on cybersecurity issues can be a great way to increase engagement. When employees are able to interact with speakers, they retain a sense of personal responsibility and self-determination.
3rd Computer based training
Due to time zone differences, all-hands calls and other types of formal functions can be difficult to plan, especially with small teams. If this sounds like your business, consider gamified computer-based cybersecurity training.
These types of programs offer fun, experiential learning opportunities. Research shows that people who enjoy the learning process and are actively involved absorb information without noticing it. It’s similar to how spinach isn’t a popular food with kids, but it easily perishes when a handful is secretly added to a chocolate shake!
A gamified format might be the way to go. Plus, it gives everyone a chance to achieve a goal or win an activity.
4th Consider competitions
Ask employees to create entertaining 60-second videos about cybersecurity. Gather everyone’s posts, share them, and create a Slack or mobile based survey. Encourage everyone to vote on their favorites.
Create a points system associated with the successful completion of cybersecurity activities. Employees with the most points can win a real prize.
5. Try the in-the-moment training
Employees are actively involved in cybersecurity initiatives through practical real-time training.
Did you know that up to 25% of employees accidentally clicked a phishing link while at work? Ask your IT team to send phishing test emails. See who clicks and who doesn’t and then laugh about it together!
6th Reward employees for doing the right thing
Giving prizes to people at cybersecurity games is one thing. Take your cybersecurity awareness training to a whole new level by rewarding employees who detect and report phishing emails. Positive reinforcement makes concepts stick.
7th Cyber security and onboarding
Another way to build a cybersecurity-focused culture is to add security training to the onboarding process. This helps employees learn more about cybersecurity risks, initiatives, and who to contact with questions or concerns.
Enhance cyber attackers targeting individuals rather than just an organization as a whole. Hackers do this by making friends with people on social media, sending fictional emails, etc. These are especially important points to communicate with individuals in the C-suite and other top management positions, even though they affect all employees .
Conclusion
For each cybersecurity awareness training you implement, determine how the ROI will be measured. Your management team will want to see the results that drove the program forward. How have your initiatives increased engagement? How have you improved the cybersecurity culture across the company? Make sure you are able to provide solid metrics and offer a clear accompanying narrative.
By testing these training techniques (and measuring the results) you will create a solid culture of cybersecurity awareness. While cybersecurity awareness training cannot be cheap and time-consuming, it can be significantly more cost effective than the ransomware fees, lawsuits, and reputational damage that often come with cyberattacks.
References:
[1] Cyber Security Top 10 best games to raise awareness among your employees
