Business leaders, team leaders and managers at all levels can no longer rely on cybersecurity solutions like antivirus software and firewalls.
Cybersecurity professionals warn organizations that cybercriminals have become more resilient to conventional out-of-the-box cybersecurity solutions.
Due to the reality that cyber threats now come from any level of an organizations, managers must include cybersecurity awareness training to educate staff about common cyber threats like social engineering scams, phishing, ransomware attacks, and other malware designed to steal intellectual property or personal data.
Statistics show that even with the growing sophistication of cybercriminals and their methods, human error is the cause of 90% of data breaches.
This is why it behooves managers of organizations to spend the time and resources necessary to teach staff how to identify and correctly respond to cyber threats. These educational programs could also increase the value of all cybersecurity solution investments because they can prevent staff from unknowingly bypassing expensive security controls to facilitate cybercrime.
Experts in this area also advise managers to develop and publish an information security awareness policy because cyber threats and data processes aren’t static. A lack of training and awareness can create weaknesses for cybercriminals to exploit.
As hybrid working increases, it’s even more important that people who access personal data understand your security measures. Everyone in the organization needs to know how to access and process data safely from wherever they work.
Information security awareness training should therefore apply to all staff, including temporary, locum or contract workers. It’s also a key question to ask suppliers. When assessing their credentials, check they regularly train all staff processing your data too.
It’s also important for managers to understand that cybersecurity awareness shouldn’t stop in the training room. Try to regularly circulate intranet articles, policy libraries, team briefings and posters to maintain awareness levels.
Managers should also become familiar with cybersecurity penetration testing and what it can accomplish. Organizations can employ ethical cyber-specialists to try and exploit weaknesses in IT systems, so vulnerabilities can be found and fixed.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Cybersecurity Training for Managers, a 1-day introduction to cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities and measures that can be taken to mitigate them. This course is especially beneficial for managers who want to see the “big picture” in order to communicate with technical as well as non-technical individuals.
Cybersecurity Training for Managers covers the most important aspects of cybersecurity without getting too involved in the technical nitty gritty.
Participants will learn how to select and use the right frameworks to enhance cybersecurity decision-making in their organization as well as learn to assess risk, improve defenses and reduce vulnerabilities associated with cyber-attacks.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.